Recently, the MEBO-NBA Sacramento Kings International Youth Basketball & Cultural Exchange Event was held in Jinan, the capital city of east China's Shandong province. During the 5-day event, 120 young basketball players underwent systematic training under the guidance of professional youth coaches from the NBA's Sacramento Kings, embarking on a basketball journey blending skill development with cultural exchange.

Group photo

Photo by the Information Office of Jinan Municipal People’s Government

　　2025 marks the 40th anniversary of Jinan and Sacramento's sister-city relationship. This time, Jinan collaborated with the NBA's elite franchise, the Sacramento Kings, jointly holding a youth basketball exchange activity, which not only created a basketball extravaganza but also served as a dynamic practice of grassroots sports exchanges between China and the United States. During the event, Kings coaches delivered NBA training drills to Jinan's youth while engaging with schools and communities through public welfare activities.

　　Jinan has consistently pursued high-caliber sports event systems and cultivated new models for its sports industry. This event further deepened Jinan's international sports cooperation, elevated its youth basketball training framework, and gave significant momentum to Jinan's vision of becoming a "City of Sports Events". The exchange built a bridge for Sino-American basketball culture, propelling Jinan's basketball development to new heights.