Oscar Robertson is immediate past president of the Retired NBA Players Association (XNBA), which provides pension administration, medical coverage and other benefits for former NBA players. In 1998, ABC Promotions, the marketing arm of the Asian Basketball Confederation, invited the XNBA to assemble a team of former NBA stars for an exhibition tour against the Chinese National Team. Oscar Robertson served as coach of the XNBA Legends team, which consisted of these players:
Forwards: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, The Chinese National Team, much younger and in prime physical condition, consisted of:
Two games were played in Shanghai and one each in Hefei and Beijing. Several clinics were held, featuring The Big O, various players and Tom McCarthy, president of ABC Promotions. Coach and players also took part in media conferences, interviews, autograph sessions, sightseeing tours and shopping trips. All four games were televised across China and to other Asian countries via satellite on ESPN/STAR Sports to a total audience of over 1 billion viewers. The title sponsor of the tour was Thakral Media Corporation, a leading distributor of consumer electronic and household electrical products in China. Other sponsors included Amway, New Balance, 3M and New Zealand Milk Products. China Southern Airlines was the official airline.
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