Warriors drawing big crowds in China
SHENZHEN, China — As the bounce of a Spalding grew louder, echoing through Shenzhen City Arena, more and more of the several dozen Chinese reporters who had gathered around Timberwolves small forward Jimmy Butler glanced across the court.
There in his gray Warriors T-shirt and blue shorts was Kevin Durant. It was shortly after 1:30 p.m. local time Wednesday, and Durant was the first player out for Golden State practice. As the eight-time NBA All-Star hoisted jumpers, bobbing his head to music piped through his white Beats By Dre headphones, at least 10 reporters tore away from Butler’s scrum to snap pictures of Durant on their iPhones.