SHANGHAI, May 24 -- Nominated by Yao Ming, chairman of CBA League Sports Co., and approved by the board of directors, Wang Dawei has been hired to assume the responsibility of the first CEO, announced CBA League Sports Co. on May 24.
The announcement reads that Wang Dawei will work with CBA clubs and management teams to improve the overall operation level of the CBA League. Wang's focus will be on increasing the stature of the brand image, as well as competition management, fan engagement, and business development with the aim of achieving long-term and sustainable development of the Chinese basketball industry.
Prior to joining CBA League Sports Co., Wang Dawei was previously the senior vice president and chief marketing officer for NBA China for over 10 years. He was responsible for core business of NBA China including market partner management, media sales, merchandising, theme retailing, interactive games, brand promotion, data strategy and youth development. Wang initiated several innovative projects and contributed to the significant expansion of NBA China. Before taking position in NBA China, Wang worked for the Beijing Organizing Committee of Olympic Games (BOCOG) for nearly five years and was in charge of merchandising, marketing and international cooperation. He was selected by the BOCOG as the torch bearer in the opening ceremony.
Yao Ming, the chairman of CBA League Sports Co., said that after obtaining the authorization of Chinese Basketball Association, the company took on the role of operating the CBA league since the 2017-18 season. During this period the company has rolled out a number of reforms related to competition, market development and brand promotion. These reforms have been successful with record income levels for consecutive seasons. Powered by Wang's leadership, CBA company will continue to make great strides in this new era.
"I firmly believe that Mr. Wang, with his rich experience, unique conviction and innovative thinking, will further enlarge the influence of CBA League in various fields, thus continuously improving the CBA brand value," said Yao.
"We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Wang for his outstanding contributions to NBA China over the past ten years. NBA has enjoyed profound partnership with Chinese Basketball Association with extensive cooperation in training national teams, coaches and referees at different levels. We look forward to extending close cooperation between the two sides and we will support the development of China's basketball industry as always," said Zhang Chiju, CEO of NBA China.
CBA League, as the most influential men's professional basketball tournament in China, has a total of 20 teams. The 2018-19 season of the league was held from October 21, 2018 to May 3, 2019 with 460 regular-season games and 37 playoffs. Recently, CBA League Sports Co. has launched its "CBA2.0" plan for brand promotion and upgraded the logo of nine clubs.