Yao Ming (2nd R), president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), shakes hands with former NBA star Kobe Bryant as the latter hands over the FIBA Basketball World Cup trophy to Yao while the hosts of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 draw look on in Shenzhen on Saturday. Photos by Sun Yuchen

Horacio Muratore (2nd R), FIBA president, shakes hands with a child representative from Yao Ming Foundation after receiving a ”Tree of Friendship” while Chinese basketball star Yi Jianlian (back) looks on.

Kobe Bryant (R) picks a mini basketball containing the name of a country to compete in the FIBA World Cup 2019 during Saturday’s draw as Predrag Bogosavljev (C), sport and competitions director of FIBA, looks on.

Yao Ming puts the FIBA Basketball World Cup trophy on a stand.

Stephen Marbury, a former U.S. player with the Beijing Shougang basketball team, makes a gesture on the red carpet at Saturday’s event.

U.S. singer Jason Derulo (3rd L) sings among dancers during a performance at Saturday’s FIBA World Cup draw.

Basketball fans gather at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center to see Kobe Bryant on Saturday after the draw event.

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World Cup 2019 draw completed

World Cup Ambassador Kobe Bryant holds the draw slip for New Zealand during the draw ceremony for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup held at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Nanshan District on Saturday evening. Sun Yuchen

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw was completed in front of 8,000 spectators at Shenzhen Bay Sports Center in Nanshan District on Saturday evening.

Basketball legend and World Cup Ambassador Kobe Bryant, together with American best-selling singer/songwriter Jason Derulo, headlined the star-studded event. Special guests also included Yang Chaoyue, a member of the Chinese girl group Rocket Girls 101, and former U.S. national team player and Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) star Stephon Marbury.

The milestone event on the Road to China 2019 took place under the watchful eye of FIBA president Horacio Muratore, FIBA secretary general Andreas Zagklis and representatives from the 32 participating national teams, including CBA president Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, captain of the Chinese national team. They were joined by members of FIBA’s Executive Committee and Central Board, as well as high-ranking officials from the Local Organizing Committee and representatives from the eight host cities.

The 32 competing teams were split up into eight groups, determining who they will face in the tournament, which begins in China on Aug. 31.

The host, China, is in Group A for matchups against Cote d’Ivoire, Poland and Venezuela to be held in Beijing, while the reigning champions, the USA, will face Turkey, Czech Republic and Japan in Group E in Shanghai.

Yi said he hopes all of the players will bring their best performance for the big games. “We all expect to have good results in a competition that is being held in our own country. The most important thing is that we believe in ourselves,” he said.

“Now is the time to prepare and work on a concrete plan for facing our different rivals,” said China’s national team coach Li Nan.

Bryant said he expects competition to be stiff and hopes each team will go after every single opportunity to prove themselves. “Every team has a chance to win, you have to believe that all the preparation and hard work is gonna pay off,” Bryant said.

The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup will take place between Aug. 31 and Sept. 15 in eight cities across China, namely Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Foshan and Dongguan.

Their performance in the upcoming tournament will decide whether these national teams can punch their tickets to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

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‘It will be the best basketball World Cup’

FIBA president Horacio Muratore speaks at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw ceremony Saturday. Sun Yuchen

Holding the World Cup in the great country of China, with all its strength, love of sport and economic power, will allow us to have the best World Cup of all time, FIBA president Horacio Muratore told the Shenzhen Daily during an exclusive interview after the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Draw ceremony Saturday.

According to Muratore, holding the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 in China is of great significance. “First of all, holding it in China, with eight host cities, will make the event more inclusive, with the number of teams increasing from 24 to 32. Actually, it has really taken tremendous teamwork between FIBA, the Chinese Basketball Association, and the national and regional Chinese governments, which have worked together in the same direction to make everything happen,” said Muratore.

Additionally, holding the grand event in China will also provide experience for FIBA and make its future FIBA events less difficult. “Future World Cups will be staged in more than one country.

The FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 will be hosted by the Philippines, Japan and Indonesia, which beat out a bid from Argentina and Uruguay. It will also be the first World Cup to use the new classification system,” said Muratore.

According to Muratore, all of the partners have been working together for almost two years to fulfill all the objectives of giving greater visibility to the sport and trying to make all of the players feel like they’re playing at home.

Muratore hopes that the World Cup will leave a legacy in China. “We know that basketball is very important in China. There are many fans. I believe the World Cup will have multiple effects. We feel very happy that the World Cup is being held here, and more and more young people, including boys and girls, will play basketball,” said Muratore, adding that he believes China, which has been constantly improving, will become one of the top five best teams in the world.

When asked about the highlights of the draw ceremony, Muratore said that holding the ceremony in Shenzhen itself was a great highlight. “It was a great job. Shenzhen is a beautiful place and the draw ceremony has adopted many new elements, such as blending the draw ceremony with music.”

Muratore likes Shenzhen, which is considered the Silicon Valley of China. He shared with the Shenzhen Daily that he had hoped the Argentine team would play in Shenzhen.

“Because, the truth is, I like this city so much and I hope I can visit it more. The people are lovely and they treat me very well. Sadly, Argentina will play in another city,” said Muratore.

Muratore, FIBA Americas President since 2009, was unanimously elected as the 12th FIBA president Aug. 29, 2014, during the elective congress in Sevilla, Spain.

Born in San Miguel de Tucuman, Argentina, on Nov. 29, 1951, Muratore is the product of a basketball family, with his father being a founding member of the Tucuman BB club.

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FIBA unveils World Cup 2019 official basketball

The official game ball for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019. Liu Xudong

FIBA and Molten Corp. revealed the BG5000, the official game ball with the exclusive tournament design for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019, at the official game ball launch event in Shenzhen on Friday.

Molten Corp., a Japanese manufacturer of balls and sports equipment, considered players’ suggestions and feedback in the manufacturing process that made the BG5000 into a basketball with markedly improved control and grip performance, while maintaining an authentic texture.

The new surface texture helps give it an ideal grip, even when in contact with sweat or moisture. The ball is softer than in the past and therefore easier to control in every moment of the game. The exclusive tournament design “dragon,” which symbolizes the basketball player’s drive to compete with the fundamental elements of basketball — “heart,” “basket,” “ball” and “court” — is featured around the BG5000.

“BG5000 offers an improved performance level compared to past models and captures the look and feel of the World Cup by displaying the four key elements,” said Andreas Zagklis, FIBA’s secretary general, at the launch ceremony.

“The new official game ball employs unique technologies while maintaining its traditional and authentic look. We look forward to watching players perform at their maximum level with added confidence,” said Kiyofumi Tamiaki, president and CEO of Molten Corp.