China’s state-run Global Times propaganda newspaper published a feature on Thursday praising NBA star Stephen Curry for his visit to Chongqing, China, this week, which regime-approved experts praised as a way to help “disseminate rich Chinese culture to the international audiences.”
Curry is the latest in a long line of American basketball stars to travel to China in the off-season for engagements with fans and government-approved events meant to bolster communist China’s international profile. Curry spent the week in Chongqing performing in exhibition basketball shows, joining fan meet-and-greets, and promoting an initiative by Chinese former NBA player Yao Ming, whom the communist regime has used in the past to promote its political agenda.
Basketball, and the NBA specifically, are wildly popular in China. The regime regularly uses this commercial leverage to impose its own political censorship on the league, even among players in the United States. The NBA has endured two major China-related censorship scandals in the last decade: the removal of former Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey after expressing support for anti-communist protests in Hong Kong in 2019; and the abrupt end of Turkish basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom’s career in the NBA after vocally condemning China’s ongoing genocide of Uyghur and other Turkic people in occupied East Turkistan.
The Global Times described Stephen Curry’s arrival in Chongqing as a national spectacle — and a boon for the local tourism industry.
“A graffiti wall, light rail coach with Curry-themed decorations, and mob shops, among others, were seen in the megacity as fans flocked to it to see the four-time NBA championship winner,” the state outlet detailed. “For many of these fans, the chance to see Curry in action wasn’t just a spectacle — it was a chance to learn from one of basketball’s greats.”
A Communist Party official in the city told the Global Times that it was “obvious that Curry fans were flocking into the city” even as officials had not yet finalized statistics on hotel bookings or commercial activity this week. The newspaper also quoted a regime-approved sports “expert” who asserted that Curry’s decision to visit China and extensively feature the repressive communist regime positively on social media was a major cultural victory for the Party.
“An international superstar’s visit to China often shows the magnetic pull of athletes in fostering connection,” the sports expert, Wang Dazhao, was quoted as saying. “In Curry’s case, his cultural immersion provided an extra dimensional narrative beyond sports.”
Curry documented his visit to Chongqing, branded the “Curry Brand China Tour,” on social media, highlighting a massive drone display creating his likeness in the night sky.
“The fans brought incredible energy from the jump, and getting to connect with city executives gave us a deeper look at what makes this place so special. If this is how the trip starts, we’re in for something unforgettable,” Curry wrote on his Instagram account on Tuesday.
The state-run CGTN television network also aired footage of the show as top news this week, reporting that the display featured 5,000 drones performing a “recreation” of the player’s three-point shots and serving as an “unforgettable gift” for the American athlete.
Stephen Curry Amazed by 5000-Drone Show in Chongqing
On the evening of August 18, Chongqing gave NBA star Stephen Curry an unforgettable gift. A fleet of 5,000 drones performed above the city’s rivers, lighting up the night by recreating his signature shot and celebration pose.
Posted by CGTN on Wednesday, August 20, 2025
The tour also included a basketball exhibition and an event alongside Yao Ming’s “Yao Foundation,” the state Xinhua News Agency reported on Thursday. The two NBA stars reportedly partnered to “provide venues and equipment support to rural areas and organize a girls’ basketball league for elementary schools.”
Following the end of his career in the NBA, Yao returned home to coach the national basketball team and engage in several partnerships with the communist government. Yao was a prominent promoter of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics in the face of a global call to boycott the event in solidarity with the victims of the Uyghur genocide. Yao also publicly condemned Kanter Freedom for his advocacy for the victims of Chinese human rights abuses.
“People have the right to make their opinions heard, but they must be responsible for what they say,” Yao warned Kanter Freedom in 2022.
Elsewhere during his stay, Curry was feted with a performance by the Sichuan Opera, also documented by Chinese state media.
Curry again thanked China on social media on Thursday as his trip came to an end.
The Global Times emphasized in its coverage that Curry’s visit would be far from the last one by an NBA star. LeBron James “will visit Shanghai and Chengdu in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province in September,” it noted.
James, arguably the single biggest star in the NBA, has a longstanding relationship with the Chinese regime. As documented by Breitbart senior contributor and investigative journalist Peter Schweizer in his 2022 book Red-Handed, James enjoys million-dollar endorsement deals that result in exclusive products sold in the Chinese market.
“Beyond selling his jersey in China, James also has an exclusive arrangement that caters to the Chinese elite,” Schweizer detailed. “The superstar releases some of his coveted shoes in China first, before fans in the United States can get access to them. At the same time, he has a line of Chinese-themed shoes that are available only in China, called ‘China’ editions.”
James was among the most critical following Morey’s support for Hong Kong, condemning him for putting the human rights of Hongkongers over the financial interests of multi-millionaire NBA stars.
“You know, when you’re misinformed, or you’re not educated about something, and I’m just talking about the tweet itself, you never know the ramifications that can happen,” LeBron said. “So many people could have been harmed, not only financially, but physically, emotionally [and] spiritually.”
China has similarly celebrated other NBA stars for visiting and promoting Chinese tourism. In 2023, NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo visited the country, prompting the Global Times to remind fellow players that “significant commercial opportunities” await in China for those who choose to stay silent about communist repression.
More recently, in June, San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama visited the country. Wembanyama made the unusual decision to spend a ten-day retreat at the Shaolin Temple, one of the most important sites in Zen Buddhism, and avoid public appearances during that time.
“His unexpected detour to the temple, following visits to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven and the Great Wall, became a trending topic on Chinese social media,” the state-run China Daily noted at the time.
The Chinese Communist Party abruptly disappeared the head of the Shaolin Temple, Shi Yongxin, a month later, accusing him of a variety of corruption crimes.
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