Guangzhou: The inaugural 2026 Guangdong Provincial City Basketball Association (Guangdong B.A.) commenced with great enthusiasm at the Tianhe Sports Center Gymnasium in Guangzhou, where the Zhongshan team emerged victorious against the Guangzhou team in the opening match. The event highlighted the deep-rooted passion for basketball among Guangdong locals, with fans eagerly snapping up tickets as soon as they were made available.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Guangdong’s basketball history dates back to the late Qing dynasty (1644-1912) when female university students were already engaging in the sport. Throughout the Republic of China era (1912-1949), institutions like Pui Ching and Pui Ying in Guangzhou played crucial roles in promoting basketball. The evolution from dirt courts to the establishment of the Guangdong Tigers, eleven-time CBA champions, and now the Guangdong B.A., signifies the sport’s integral role in the province’s culture and community life. Ma Shuo, deputy director of the Institute of Cultural Industries at the Guangdong Academy of Social Sciences, emphasized that the Guangdong B.A. is a well-established entity rooted in the region’s enduring sporting traditions and community spirit.
In the early 20th century, basketball spread rapidly across Guangdong’s urban and rural areas. Notably, Shaxi Town in Zhongshan clinched the national ‘Village B.A.’ championship in 2023 and 2024. Guangzhou also contributed significantly by nurturing Li Shaofen, a pioneer of women’s national basketball in New China, who led Guangdong to victory in the women’s category at the inaugural National Games. Her notable encounter with Academician Zhong Nanshan at the Games remains a celebrated narrative in sports circles. Additionally, Dongguan made history by establishing the nation’s first privately operated professional basketball club, Guangdong Hongyuan, alongside the first township-level arena meeting CBA standards. The Changping men’s team from Dongguan and the Jun’an women’s team from Shunde dominated the ‘Harvest Cup’ Farmers’ Basketball Tournament in 1984, showcasing the vigor and spirit of grassroots players from regions at the forefront of reform and development.
This year’s Guangdong B.A. prohibits professional players, offering a platform for ‘slipper-court kings’ and ‘grassroots stars’ from across the province to shine, a unique feature of the tournament. Du Feng, president of the Guangdong Basketball Association, highlighted that participants range in age from 16 to 40.
Ma Shuo remarked that sporting events like the Guangdong B.A. serve as cultural showcases, integrating diverse traditions ranging from Cantonese to Hakka, thereby transforming the experience of ‘watching a game’ into ‘exploring a city.’
The Guangdong B.A. will conduct 125 games until August, while the Guangdong Football Super League will begin in late April with 123 weekend matches scheduled through October. Both events aim to boost local economy and culture by launching dining vouchers and hosting ‘Guangdong Products for the World’ promotional activities, enhancing the vibrant city life and the electrifying atmosphere of the arenas.