NBA icons' reunion a slam dunk for super penguin show

Taking advantage of the appeal of star entertainers, livestreaming of the game on Tencent's digital platforms received over 35 million views, while ESPN also broadcast the game in various countries and regions including Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico and the United States.

The project has attracted more than 160 basketball stars and entertainment celebrities over the past four years, including NBA legends Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Chris Bosh, as well as high-profile entertainers like Kris Wu, Bai Jingting and Xiao Jingteng.

Tencent Sports, the sports affiliate of internet giant Tencent, which operates popular Chinese social networking apps Wechat and QQ, knows full well that the celebrity appeal of entertainment icons can help expand basketball's popularity outside sports circles.

"Ordinary audiences nowadays look for fun content to watch which doesn't necessarily have to be within a certain field. The crossover between sports and entertainment presented by such a show just caters to their demand," said Ewell Zhao, general manager of operations of Tencent Sports.

Parker, who used to organize similar events in his home country, agreed.

"It helps a lot (to popularize the game to a wider audience). We did a similar celebrity game in France, where we did a lot of crossovers like these today to bring entertainers to the sport. It always has a lot of fun and it was good for basketball and for everybody."