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Steve Ballmer, Michael Jordan, and Adam Silver Talk Basketball with the Media in China

Before tip-off of last nights game, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, Hornets owner and NBA great Michael Jordan, and NBA commissioner Adam Silver answered questions from Chinese media.

Zhong Zhi/Getty Images

Rowan Kavner from Clippers.com reported on the session with the media prior to the game. Adam Silver discussed why the NBA chose to schedule a preseason game in Shenzhen, China.

"the reason the league chose to go to the city was because it had some of the most passionate basketball fans in China, as well as several business partners and innovative technology companies"

Clippers owner Steve Ballmer seemed to agree with the commissioner.

"China’s the No. 1 country in the world in terms of basketball passion, and I’m glad the NBA has really built these great bridges here in China."

While it's understandable coaches and players might not be too excited, for ownership, the marketing and team exposure that accompanies playing a game in another country is well worth it. And playing in the most populated country in the world, one that has many NBA fans, is a no-brainer.

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan agrees with the popularity of basketball in China.

"It’s a great example of how the NBA has expanded globally. With games like this, we’ll continue to expand from a basketball sense."

At the press conference, Ballmer was also asked what he thought the Clippers needed to improve on from last season, and the owner gave his three areas for improvement:

"We needed to have better depth on our basketball team, which I think we addressed in the off-season. No. 2, we’ve got to be able to keep the intensity all year long. It’s a very long year into the playoffs. No. 3, we have to always be improving the level of teamwork. But we have a very talented basketball team.

You can check out Rowan Kavner's full report here.