Macao – October 07, 2026 -- Sands China Ltd. (HKEx: 1928) kicked off a five-day "NBA Cares x Sands Cares Community Impact Week 2026" on Oct. 7, expanding its youth basketball initiative beyond Macao to include 50 players from Hong Kong and mainland Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) cities for the first time.
The program, running Oct. 7-11 alongside The NBA China Games 2026, drew 300 total participants to the Macao East Asian Games Dome on its opening Youth Day, combining 150 players aged 11-14 from eight Macao schools with the GBA contingent.
NBA legend Ray Allen leads cross-border training sessions with 200 young athletes
Two-time NBA champion Ray Allen, alongside NBA coaches, Chinese basketball player Ding Yanyuhang, and China women's national team player Zhang Ziyu, ran skills clinics covering footwork, ball-handling, and offensive and defensive techniques. Participants underwent professional fitness assessments before being organized into mixed teams spanning Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao for competitive boys' and girls' matches.
Sands China ties sports tourism strategy to Macao's economic diversification goals
Dr. Wilfred Wong, executive vice chairman of Sands China Ltd., said the company is leveraging the NBA event for a second consecutive year to support the Macao SAR government's push toward economic diversification and to reinforce the city's status as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. Wong noted this year marks the first expansion of Youth Day participation to the broader GBA, aimed at strengthening cross-regional youth connections.
Her Time To Play seminar brings senior NBA and Sands executives into youth mentorship role
The event featured a seminar with NBA associate vice president Dawn Smyth, Dallas Mavericks chief communications officer Gina Miller, Houston Rockets president Gretchen Sheirr, and Sands China senior vice president and CMO DeVonne Iao, who shared career-development insights with young participants.
Impact Week continues Oct. 8 with Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets player appearances
A Tip-off event scheduled for The Venetian Arena on Oct. 8 will feature Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets players leading a basketball clinic for Macao secondary school students, extending the NBA China Games' reach into the local community through Oct. 11.