Why is the Guangdong BA champion Dongguan?

The second leg of the first Guangdong BA finals took place at the Dongguan Basketball Center.

On the night when the champion was crowned, numerous Chinese basketball legends were invited to the sidelines by President Du Feng, such as Hu Weidong, Gong Xiaobin, and Bateer.

Ultimately, this much-anticipated second leg match ended with Dongguan winning 108-73, sweeping Shenzhen 2-0 in the series and successfully becoming the first Guangdong Provincial City Basketball League champion.

Key player Zhou Zeyuan earned the Finals MVP thanks to his outstanding performances throughout the series.

This edition of the Guangdong BA gathered grassroots players from all 21 cities in Guangdong. After months of intense competition, the best team came out on top in the end.

Dongguan's championship is well-deserved.

As a "workhorse" living in Shenzhen, Brother Di has visited Dongguan several times for work and even tried its roast goose. Combining that with the final chapter of this Guangdong BA, I feel very strongly about one thing:

The ceiling of a city's basketball is determined by its top stars, but the vitality of a city's basketball is determined by ordinary people.

How should we interpret this statement?

Seven years ago in the finals, I saw the best version of Guangdong Hongyuan at their home court in Dongguan.

With Yi Jianlian, MarShon Brooks, Sonny Weems, Zhou Peng, and Zhao Rui, and with Beasley eating ice cream on the bench, they swept through the competition under Coach Du's guidance to claim the long-awaited championship.

That Guangdong team could compete for the title of the strongest in CBA history.

But competitive sports have no eternal winners. Hongyuan's performance in recent years has fallen short of expectations.

One major reason is that the big brother (Yi Jianlian) retired.

But don't forget, the vitality of a city's basketball comes from ordinary people.

In many cities across the country, basketball is mostly a leisure activity after work, a weekend excitement at the stadium, or a fragmented hobby.

But in Dongguan, basketball has never been a deliberately arranged pastime.

Instead, it is a life instinct rooted in the city's fabric, blended into daily life, and engraved in the blood of one or even several generations.

Uncles and aunties who collect rent in slippers can also talk about basketball in a very professional way when they meet you.

That is a way of life.

It is said that the city has nearly 7,000 basketball courts, forming a comprehensive 15-minute basketball circle, making it possible for every village to have a court, every town to have a gym, and for people to simply go downstairs and play.

Whether you are in an urban community, a village alley, an industrial park, or a leisure square, after walking for about ten minutes, no matter if you are

a gray-haired uncle or a young primary school student, you can always find a flat basketball hoop and a group of like-minded friends.

No reservation needed, no long travel required.

Many companies intentionally favor young people who can play basketball when recruiting, and many local young people prioritize jobs that allow time for basketball when looking for work.

In Shenzhen, this is unimaginable.

In the area where Brother Di lives, it's quite difficult to find an indoor court... From this perspective, it's already a great achievement for Shenzhen to finish as runner-up in the Guangdong BA.

Dongguan's championship is not an accidental highlight, but a re-blooming of the deep heritage of a basketball city.

Looking back in history.

In the last century, the Dongguan Changping Farmers' Basketball Team won the national Harvest Cup championship, igniting the spark of grassroots basketball.

In 1993, the Hongyuan Club was established, pioneering the first private professional club in China.

Professional basketball is not a castle in the air; a steady stream of talent comes from schools, youth training academies, and grassroots courts.

Du Feng, Zhu Fangyu, Yi Jianlian, Yang Liwei, Yang Shuyu, and many other national players have emerged from this land.

Championships will change, stars will age, but as long as this land still has countless ordinary people willing to step onto the court, the power of basketball will never fade.

Remember during the Qatar World Cup, the football poet He Wei once said: the scattered and ubiquitous football fields,are the true source of strength for French football.

If you look down at Dongguan from above, you will find that the most striking things are not just the bustling commercial districts, industrial parks, or urban landmark skyscrapers.

You will be deeply impressed by the basketball courts scattered throughout the streets and alleys, visible in every village.

That is the true strength of Dongguan basketball, and also the core secret behind their ability to win so many championships.

Passion comes from the heart.

When basketball becomes a way of life for ordinary people in a city or a country, the top-level results are bound to be excellent.