N.B.A. and Partner to Help Build 12 Arenas in China

n an aggressive move to brand the NBA as the ultimate basketball authority in China, the league and AEG will design and build a dozen new arenas over the next few years.

The arenas will be mostly financed by local governmental units. The NBA and AEG will control the facilities, however.

The pair already has a history: they designed and built the arena used for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Bejing. In addition, AEG owns and/or runs over 90 facilities, including Staples Center in Los Angeles, the O2 in London and the O2 World arena in Berlin.

The money for the arena investment will come from NBA China, a side venture that includes investors like the Walt Disney Company.

NBA, AEG to design and build 12 new arenas in China....

US beats China 101-70 in Olympic opener

By BRIAN MAHONEY

BEIJING (AP) — This was the stuff a Dream Team is made of. Acrobatic moves, reverse slams and tomahawk dunks. Who needs outside shooting? Just toss it up and throw it down.

The United States opened its campaign for Olympic basketball redemption Sunday with a 101-70 rout of host China that had even the home crowd oohing and aahing.

Dwyane Wade lobbed one up to LeBron James on a fastbreak, James caught it in midair with one hand and in one motion, slammed it home.

Kobe Bryant drove to the basket a couple of times for tomahawk dunks, sending the crowd into a frenzy each time.

And not to be outdone, Wade had a behind-the-head, back-to-the-basket two-handed dunk of his own.

This wasn't a game, this was a spectacle.

And the fans, including President Bush, got what they came to see.

US beats China 101-70 in Olympic opener....