The Perth Wildcats' preparation for the 2010/11 NBL season will continue with an exciting four-way Friendship Games Basketball Tournament to be held from September 17-19 at the WA Basketball Centre.
The Friendship Games will feature not only the defending NBL champion Wildcats, but also the newly reformed Sydney Kings, and Chinese powers the Beijing Ducks and Shanghai Sharks.
The tournament will take place at the WA Basketball Centre as it hosts the four teams who will play off in a double-header on each of the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights over the weekend in the round-robin format.
The Shanghai Ducks will bring to Perth 7'9 (236cm) big man Sun Ming Ming and he will provide quite the spectacle on his own for WA basketball fans. He is also known for having starred in a fight scene where he towered over Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in the feature film Rush Hour 3.
The Shanghai Sharks are best known for being the club that Houston Rockets centre and seven-time NBA All Star Yao Ming was drafted out of after winning the Chinese Basketball Association championship in 2001.
It will begin on Friday September 17 with the Sydney Kings, who return to the NBL this season after a two-year absence, taking on the Beijing Ducks with the Wildcats then hitting the court to face the Shanghai Sharks.
On the Saturday evening, the Kings play the Sharks and then the Wildcats take on the Ducks.
The tournament will conclude on Sunday with the two Chinese teams playing one another first up and then the Wildcats and Kings renewing their rivalry with their first game up against each other since Sydney folded at the end of 2007/08 NBL season.
Former Australian basketball great and Perth Wildcats legend Andrew Vlahov is the chief executive of RV Sport, which is behind the tournament, and he's excited to be bringing the three teams to Perth to go up against the defending NBL champion 'Cats.
"We are thrilled to bring this calibre of players to Western Australia. There is a very competitive mix of teams from China and Australia which have traditionally had fierce rivalries," Vlahov said.
"The Friendship Games is a chance to see top notch talent in WA; the spiritual home of Australian basketball.
"It will be a great spectacle to see the massive Beijing player Sun Ming Ming in the intimate, new WA Basketball Centre. Wildcats coach Rob Beveridge and I both agree it will be a big test for his championship team."
Friendship Games Schedule:
Friday September 17
Sydney Kings v Beijing Ducks, 6pm
Perth Wildcats v Shanghai Sharks, 8pm
Saturday September 18
Sydney Kings v Shanghai Sharks, 6pm
Perth Wildcats v Beijing Ducks, 8pm
Sunday September 19
Shanghai Sharks v Beijing Ducks, 6pm
Perth Wildcats v Sydney Kings, 8pm
Tickets
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster with prices starting at $15 each night for the double-headers.
