Tickets for NBA China Games 2012 between the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers will go on sale on Tuesday at 9:00 am, NBA China, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports and the Shanghai Administration of Sports announced.

The teams will play at the MasterCard Center in Beijing at 7 pm on Oct 11 and will meet again at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai on Oct 14 at noon.

The Shanghai game marks the first NBA game to be held in the arena, which will provide a platform to showcase the NBA to Shanghai fans for the first time since 2007.

The NBA and its promoter, AEG China, joined with China Mobile to be the official ticketing partner for the games and they are providing fans with a way to purchase tickets through the national call center at 12580.

China Mobile subscribers can also redeem tickets using CMCC points at jf.10086.cn. Fans should only purchase tickets through this channel. Damai.cn, a leading ticketing solutions company in China, will use advanced technology to authenticate all official tickets.

"NBA China Games is the highlight of the Beijing sports calendar, and this year's game promises to be the best yet with a matchup featuring the reigning NBA champions, the Miami Heat, and the talented Los Angeles Clippers," said Li Yingchuan, director general of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports.

"We welcome both teams to Beijing and along with the millions of fans, we are looking forward to a great game."

"We are delighted to work with the NBA to bring two of the best, star-studded NBA teams led by LeBron James of the Heat and Blake Griffin of the Clippers to Shanghai," said Li Yuyi, director general of the Shanghai Administration of Sports.

"The unprecedented support from both the Beijing and Shanghai sports bureaus and our marketing partners will help us deliver the best NBA experience to our fans in China," said David Shoemaker, NBA China CEO. "The Heat and the Clippers have generated a tremendous amount of interest and excitement and the two games will demonstrate the continued growth of world-class live sports entertainment in China."

NBA China Games 2012 marks the sixth edition of NBA China Games and the first time the reigning NBA champions will compete in the event.

The two teams feature eleven players who have been NBA All-Stars, three NBA Finals Most Valuable Players, and six Olympic gold medalists.

The Heat's roster includes three-time NBA MVP LeBron James, 2006 NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, seven-time NBA All-Star Chris Bosh and 2008 NBA champion Ray Allen.

The Clippers' roster includes Blake Griffin, winner of the 2011 Sprite Slam Dunk, five-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul, 2004 NBA Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, and two-time NBA champion Lamar Odom.

In 2004, the NBA became the first American professional sports league to play games in China, with two games between the Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings in Shanghai and Beijing.

Counting this year's games, the league will have hosted 13 games in China since 2004.

(China Daily 09/10/2012 page23)