Hosted by Yao Foundation and China Youth Development Foundation, co-sponsored by Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), co-organized and title-sponsored by Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG), the “Galaxy Entertainment Group 2023 the 11th Yao Foundation Charity Game” and a series of extended activities made its debut in Macau on 16 and 17 September. The highly anticipated game itself was held at Galaxy Arena on the evening of 17 September.

This year’s event featured a lineup of star players including the Chinese Basketball All-Star Team led by Fang Shuo, Zhai Xiaochuan and Kyranbek Makel, as well the International Basketball All-Star Team led by Jeremy Shu-How Lin and Isaiah Thomas.

Before the official start of the game, Yao Ming, Founder of Yao Foundation and Chairman of CBA, delivered an opening speech, and exchanged souvenirs with Francis Lui, Vice Chairman of GEG. Subsequently, Francis Lui kicked off the game in the center of the court.

The two teams put on a show throughout the game by way of powerful dunks and impressive three-point shooting, highlighting their unique set of skills. During the intermission, a number of Chinese sports stars were invited to play games and interact with the audience on the court. They included Chinese men’s 100-meter record holder Su Bingtian and Chinese NBA star Yi Jianlian, who announced his retirement from professional competition only a few weeks earlier.

The third quarter of the charity game saw teenage players from Yao Foundation Hope Primary School Basketball Season invited to compete on the court, with their spirit of perseverance and diligence attracting warm applause from the audience and creating an exciting atmosphere.

Ultimately, the International Basketball All-Star Team led by Jeremy Shu-How Lin and Isaiah Thomas emerged victorious 147-144 in a tight and entertaining contest.

Complementing the charity game at Galaxy Arena was a series of extended activities held on September 16 and 17, including the campus visit, the Charity Gala Dinner, the Philanthropy Forum, the Hive5 Sports Short Film Festival Forum and the Basketball Carnival.

The Galaxy Entertainment Group Hive5 Sports Short Film Festival featured the premiere of the documentary Team Together Wuhan at Galaxy Macau’s Galaxy Cinemas, and a forum where guests discussed the topic of “How to Spread the Spirit and Culture of Sports”. In total the Film Festival saw 29 short films about sports – running for a combined 1,000 minutes – shown at Galaxy Cinemas on 18 and 19 September.

Open to public on the day of the charity game, the “Galaxy Entertainment Group 2023 11th Yao Foundation Charity Game Basketball Carnival” took place at Macau University of Science and Technology, featuring friendly matches and various fun-filled game booths. Jeremy Shu-How Lin, Isaiah Thomas and other star players joined in various interactions with the audience and GEG arranged for its basketball team members to join the Richmond Fellowship of Macau (ARFM) Basketball Team to take part in one of these friendly matches, with a basketball training session also organized to help both teams prepare for the match, whilst building friendship and team spirit, thereby promoting an inclusive culture.

To further connect the community with sports, GEG also engaged different social groups in the excitement of the Yao Foundation Charity Game and its series of extended activities, with the aim of raising public awareness of sports and charity causes. In particular, GEG invited 50 members of the children basketball class of the Women’s General Association of Macau and members of ARFM to join the Basketball Carnival to appreciate the spectacular performances of the basketball players and to interact with them.

Yao Foundation Founder Yao Ming and Chairwoman Ye Li led a number of Chinese and overseas stars who participated in the charity game on a campus visit on the morning of 16 September. They visited Kao Yip Middle School and interacted with students by holding demonstration matches and teaching them important basketball skills and knowledge.

At a press conference held on Saturday 16 September afternoon, Yao Ming presented plaques to the title sponsor, supporting units, co-organizers, and the sponsors of the event, including Francis Lui, Vice Chairman of GEG.

In his speech Yao said he was grateful to the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau SAR, the Commissioner’s Office of the People’s Republic of China and the Macau SAR Government for their support of the event. He also extended his gratitude to over 20 national and international professional basketball players who contributed to the charity event by way of their influence and exceptional basketball skills.

“The purpose of organizing the Yao Foundation Charity Game is to support the better development of sports education in rural areas and help young people to grow and develop through sports,” he said during his speech. “The theme of this year’s charity game is ‘Grow with Sports, Love Overflows Macau.’

”It means that every audience member is supporting young people in rural areas of China to create a better tomorrow through sports and charity.”

Zhang Huawei, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Youth Development Foundation, said, “The Yao Foundation Charity Game has been successfully held for 10 editions so far and has received support from hundreds of basketball superstars at home and abroad. It is of great significance that Macau is hosting this event for the first time. We look forward to working together with the charitable and sports communities in Macau to take action together and promote the healthy growth of the next generation of the Chinese nation through sports.”

Buddy Lam, Executive Vice President of Corporate Office for GEG, added, “We are honored to be one of the co-organizers and title sponsor of this year’s Yao Foundation Charity Game, bringing together renowned national and overseas basketball players and offering the public a feast of basketball at Macau’s newest and most iconic Galaxy Arena. Through uniting the community through sports, we hope to elevate the public’s awareness of sports and charitable causes.”

The annual Yao Foundation Charity Game, a joint effort of the Yao Foundation, China Youth Development Foundation and Chinese Basketball Association, is the largest basketball charity game in mainland China, having been organized for the past decade.