I played against them in the (1984) Olympics, and I can see how much more they have i mproved since then. “I`ve played against teams from all over the world, and nobody moves the ball better than the Chinese. The Chinese, who had previously worked out the Knicks and the Nets, noted the aggressiveness and the physicality of the NBA teams, while Bob Sakamoto of the Chicago Tribunereported that the Chinese had impressed Michael Jordan with their quick ball movement. The Bulls won the scrimmage 46-25 although no official score was kept. The Beloit College archives turned up nothing, leading to the conclusion that it was a closed event since the school advertised most practices open to spectators. Information on this twenty-two minute game is limited and no photos have been found. The Chinese arrived and scrimmaged the Bulls on October 5, 1985. Both Blair and Badger estimated that the Chinese were about as good as a Division II college team and teams structured the workouts as to not humiliate the Chinese while also giving NBA teams quality practice time. The Chinese arrived in the United States on Septemand ex-Bulls coach Ed Badger (1976-1978) and Bill Blair coached and travelled with the Chinese team as they made rounds scrimmaging the Knicks, Nets, Bulls, Pacers, 76ers, and Bullets. The entire camp with pictures was written about here by Fred Burwell in a 2013 edition of the Terrarium, the Campus newspaper. The team arrived on Septemwhere Michael Jordan and the Bulls were quite the attraction for Beloit college students who could pay fees of $1, $4, or $5 to watch practices and scrimmages. Stan Albeck chose to hold training camp outside the city of Chicago, and he selected the Beloit College campus in Beloit, Wisconsin only ninety miles away. The future was bright for the Chicago Bulls but for at least a day, their training camp was about more than just getting ready for the upcoming season as they showcased American basketball and helped open Communist China to the NBA. They had a new owner, new head of basketball operations, a new coach, and, of course, Michael Jordan, coming off of a stellar rookie season. When it began the Bulls were getting ready to hold training camp for the 1985-86 season. The event, sponsored by Kaliber, a non-alcoholic beer, for $20,000 was a month long visit by the Chinese National Basketball Team which began September 24, 1985. Within a week, Stern’s informal invitation had been accepted by the Chinese and the NBA hastily began making arrangements for what would be known as the NBA/China Friendship Tour. “I look forward to one day hosting the Chinese national team as my guest,” David Stern told a delegation from China in the summer of 1985.
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