Sands China and NBA Cares opened a week of community events in Macao with a youth basketball day for 200 players from across the Greater Bay Area
Ray Allen joins youth basketball day as NBA Cares week opens in Macao
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Sands China and NBA Cares opened the NBA Cares x Sands Cares Community Impact Week in Macao on Wednesday, starting with a youth basketball day at the Macao East Asian Games Dome. The programme runs until 11 October, alongside the NBA China Games 2026.
Youth Day brought together 150 players aged 11 to 14 from 8 Macao schools, plus 50 more from Hong Kong and other Greater Bay Area cities, the company said. Altogether, 300 people took part, counting Sands China executives and Sands Cares ambassadors.
Former NBA player Ray Allen, NBA coaches and Chinese basketball players Ding Yanyuhang and Zhang Ziyu led the training. The players went through fitness assessments and a basketball clinic, then played friendly matches in mixed teams, with separate games for boys and girls. An individual skills challenge tested cone dribbling, precision passing and sprint layups, and ended with an awards ceremony.
Meanwhile, a Her Time To Play seminar took place. Dawn Smyth of the NBA, Gina Miller of the Dallas Mavericks, Gretchen Sheirr of the Houston Rockets and DeVonne Iao of Sands China talked to the young participants about their own careers.
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Dr Wilfred Wong, executive vice chairman of Sands China, said participation in Youth Day was widened to the Greater Bay Area this year. He also thanked the Macao government and the wider community for their support.
What is on for the rest of the week
The Tip-off event takes place today at the Venetian Arena, where Mavericks and Rockets players will lead a basketball clinic for Macao secondary school students. Organisers have not announced a start time.
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The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets play two preseason games at the Venetian Arena, on Friday 9 October at 7:30 pm and Sunday 11 October at 5:30 pm. NBA House, a fan space at the Cotai Expo, is open from 11 am to 10 pm daily until Sunday and is free to the public, apart from select invitation-only sessions.
