Bulls Big Overseas, Just Like Old Days

An unexpected development happened to Ben Gordon as he walked a street in Beijing last month.

"I got stopped three or four times in a row for my autograph," Gordon said. "I was surprised, but it just shows how much the game has become global. People who aren't even stars in the NBA are household names all over the world and may not even know it. I didn't. It's amazing how much the game has grown."

That's not by accident.

A decade removed from the Michael Jordan-era Bulls storming Paris for training camp, the NBA continues to try to grow the game internationally in ways beyond idolatry.

Whether through teams holding training camps or playing exhibition games overseas, grass-roots programs like Basketball Without Borders or coaching clinics on different continents, the mandate from Commissioner David Stern is clear.

In fact, the league hosted a record 262 international events in 162 cities on five continents this off-season and recently hired Tim Chen, the former chief executive officer for Microsoft China, to fill the same position for NBA China.

The Bulls, befitting their international makeup, are one of the league's most active teams in these efforts.

Gordon ran camps in Asia, although his efforts were for a shoe company. Luol Deng traveled to Africa and China the last two summers and Chris Duhon to China and Paris, both with Basketball Without Borders.

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source : chicagosports.chicagotribune.com