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FUZHOU, China, July 26 (Xinhua) -- NBA All-Star dunkers Aaron Gordon and Zach LaVine will attend the charity game to be held by Yao Foundation on August 28th in Southeast China's Fuzhou, according to a news briefing here on Tuesday.
Some Chinese national team players will also show up for the game after the Rio Olympics, including Wang Zhelin, the 57th pick by Grizzlies in NBA draft this year, who was born in Fuzhou.
Besides Gordon and LaVine, more NBA players have been confirmed to join the show, namely the 3rd pick in 2015 NBA draft Jahlil Okafor from Sixers, Justin Anderson from Mavericks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from Pistons.
Yao, the founder of the Yao Foundation, said he was very much expecting that both Gordon and LaVine would have their extraordinary dunk performance during the charity game.
"I was in the United States during the NBA All-Star weekend this year, but I did not watch their show on the spot," Yao said. "And I hope to see them again in China."
During the NBA All-Star weekend, the slam dunk battle between LaVine and Gordon went through two tie-breakers in the final round, reminding fans of the showdown between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in 1988.
For the charity game, the stars will leave the court during the third quarter to let the kids show their skills, and their points will accumulate for the final score.
According to Yao, the charity fund will go to the schools that suffered from the typhoon Nepartak hitting Fujian Province on July 9, to reconstruct the playgrounds and to purchase sports facilities.
Yao Foundation, set up in 2008 after the massive earthquake in Sichuan Province, is now focusing on sports and education charity. It is the 6th year to host the annual basketball charity game by the foundation since 2010.
