The first and only large-scale basketball series supported and authorized by the Chinese Basketball Association, the 2023 Qingdao Basketball Season, kicked off in the Laoshan district of Qingdao on July 5.

CBA chairman Yao Ming attended the launch ceremony of the event, which aims to further expand the influence of local basketball, take the event as a bridge, develop urban fashion sports, help the cause of Chinese basketball, and promote the construction of "Healthy China".

The 2023 Qingdao Basketball Season kicks off in the Laoshan district of Qingdao on July 5. [Photo/Guanhai News]

Xu Jicheng, vice chairman of the CBA, said that Qingdao is a city with a strong basketball atmosphere. The Qingdao Basketball Season, which started in 2022, gathered top professional competitions such as the CBA Summer League and draft conference and other activities, creating a model of "integration of sports and travel" and "integration of sports and education" for the development of Chinese basketball.

The 2022 Qingdao Basketball Season consisted of more than 700 games and 14 activities of various kinds during a five-week period, and involved more than 5,000 participants, generating consumption of nearly 100 million yuan ($13.79 million).

The 2023 version, which lasts until Aug 25, will stage more activities and games and is expected to attract over 6,000 players.

Qingdao's sports industry continues to expand in recent years. [Photo/Guanhai News]

This year, the number of participating teams of the CBA Summer League will increase from eight to 10, with no shortage of Liaoning teams, Guangdong teams and other strong squads. In addition, events such as warm-up games for the East Asian Youth Games will be held.

In recent years, the scale of the Qingdao sports industry continues to expand. Remarkable achievements have been made in mass sports, competitive sports, sports events and sports brand building, said local officials, adding that the Qingdao Basketball Season event will contribute to the city's sports industry development.