CLEVELAND, the United States, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Cleveland Cavaliers (the Cavs) will host their third annual Chinese New Year Celebration presented by the Chinese Internet giant of Tencent, as the team takes on the Brooklyn Nets here on Tuesday.
The Cavs are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland in the east central U.S. state of Ohio, while the Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in New York City in the borough of Brooklyn.
The event will start at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday (0100 GMT Wednesday) at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland. The special theme night that honors the Year of the Dog will be broadcast by FOX Sports Ohio Channel and streamed live on Tencent in China.
The Chinese New Year is a traditional celebration of the first day of the Chinese lunar calendar which fell on Feb. 16 this year, and is observed as a time for family and friends to be together.
There will be in-arena signage and LED displays with "Happy Chinese New Year" wishes in Mandarin and the Cavs fans will enjoy the fun and traditions during the special game presentation and concourse activation that reflects the history and culture of China that is home to many passionate NBA fans.
All fans in attendance will receive a red envelope at their seats containing instructions on how to win the Cavs prizes. Red envelopes are a traditional Chinese New Year gift symbolizing good fortune.
Fans can stop by the arena's Social Zone outside of Section 123/124 on the main concourse for a chance to take home a Cavs Moondog Chinese New Year Celebration poster, Axon M smartphone courtesy of ZTE or a Limited Edition Cavs Chinese New Year Shirt courtesy of Levelwear.
The members of the Wine & Gold United (WGU), official membership club exclusively for Cavs ticket holders, can stop by WGU Headquarters -- Section 123 for special Chinese New Year snacks and an opportunity to have their name written in Mandarin.
Local students representing the Mandarin Immersion program at Cleveland's Global Ambassador Language Academy will feature a display of Chinese Zodiac artwork, and the Confucius Institute at the Cleveland State University will feature an interactive Chinese culture display, on the arena's main concourse.
The Cavs Chinese New Year Celebration, supported by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, ZTE, Levelwear and Ohio Council of Community Schools, is part of a league-wide initiative to pay tribute to its international fan base.
The NBA is one of the most watched professional sport in China, which is one of the league's largest global markets. The Cavs have one of the largest subscriber bases in the NBA on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo with over 3.3 million followers.
