The National Basketball Association's (NBA) China arm guaranteed to spend $1.6 million for constructing and renovating communal basketball courts in elementary, middle, high schools and universities all over the country, as per Shanghai Daily.

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The project is in cooperation with the Chinese Ministry of Education who aims to push for the propagation of basketball training and education among the young people of China and to encourage the youth development in local schools to move forward.

To formalize the undertaking, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on Tuesday by NBA China Chief Executive Officer David Shoemaker and Chinese Vice Minister of Education Hao Ping in a ceremony held at the China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) in Washington, D.C.

"We thank the Chinese Ministry of Education for its partnership which demonstrates our mutual commitment to growing the sport of basketball in China," Shoemaker told reporters in a brief press conference after the signing.

Xinhuanet reported that the first phase of constructions is set to commence in three sites, namely: the Oriental Pearl Tower Plaza in Shanghai, the Longgang Universiade Center in Shenzhen, and the High-Tech Sports Center in Chongqing, with each one having their own groundbreaking ceremonies.

Meanwhile, the Tsinghua High School varsity team visited Houston from June 16 to 21 to showcase Chinese student basketball and train with former Houston Rockets superstars, according to China Daily.

NBA icons and former Rockets' stars Yao Ming and Robert Horry graced the exhibition game between Tsinghua and the Houston Select under-18 team at the Toyota Center on June 21 to cap the successful trip.

The news comes as a breath of fresh air for Chinese basketball fans after NBA legend Allen Iverson was reportedly cheated by dubious Chinese agents during his 12-day tour in the country last month.

Iverson was said to have been forced by the agents to perform on the basketball court even if such conditions are not indicated in his contract. The former NBA MVP should only coach an amateur team during his visit, but the agents failed to inform fans and local organizers about such provision, leading to chaos and confusion during the entire tour.

TagsNBA rumors, NBA China, Yao Ming, Robert Horry, Los Angeles Lakers