14 SPORT S ILL US TR ATED | OC T OBER 21–28, 2019
SCORECARD
N JUNE 1973, more than two years after the U.S.
table tennis team helped the Nixon administration
open diplomatic ties to China, another delegation
of American athletes was dispatched on a similar mission. At
the invitation of the State Department, two teams of men’s
and women’s college basketball players spent the month
barnstorming the People’s Republic, which rolled out a Red
carpet of dinners, receptions and fan events for its honored
hoopster guests. Even Jiang Qing, then wife of Chairman Mao,
made a surprise appearance at an exhibition game in Beijing.I
AFTER A TWEET SPARKED A CRISIS,
THE NBA MUST WEIGH THE COST OF PLAYING
BALL WITH AUTHORITARIAN CHINA FOR
A PIECE OF ITS GRAND MARKETRED
SCARE
BY ALEX PREWITT
ILLLUSTRATION BY DAVIDE BARCOESSAY
NEWSMAKERS P. 1 6 FULL FRAME P. 17 EXTRA MUSTARD P. 1 8 GAME PLAN P. 2 0 SI EATS P. 2 2 FACES IN THE CROWD P. 2 4