NBA Opens World's Largest Store Outside of the US in Wangfujing
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The National Basketball Association shoots, but has it scored in Beijing? If we're talking purely in terms of square meterage, their new store on the Chinese capital’s touristy Wangfujing strip is certainly a slam dunk. In fact, at 1,200sqm, it’s the world’s biggest NBA store outside of the US, which may not come as much of a surprise to seasoned fans given that the NBA is China's most popular sports league (thanks, Yao Ming).
The NBA has opened its largest store outside of the US
Despite its sprawling size and the number of NBA diehards in China, the shop was eerily quiet when we stopped by a week after its grand opening (as opposed to the snaking lines that fellow retail juggernaut Canada Goose drew for days after its debut earlier this year). That's likely because smaller NBA Stores have been kicking around Beijing and China for a few years now, dampening the opening of this megastore. Regardless, fans will be happy to have a designated spot to pore over Air Jordans and other high-end kicks prominently displayed on the NBA store's first floor or peruse the wracks of basketballs and LeBron James and Stephen Curry statues situated on the second.
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As you'd hope, the store is loaded with Nike's high-end kicks
How does that swag stack up? Well, it’s not cheap. The first floor’s right wall is dominated by Air Jordans, including the bright red and loftily high-topped XXXIIIs for RMB 1,499 a pair. The opposite wall holds sneaks from current stars like LeBron James, whose black and gray-flecked eponymous XVI shoes cost RMB 1,599. If you’re more of a Stephen Curry fan, you can snag a Golden State Warriors windbreaker for RMB 999, or #30 jersey with the point guard’s name on the back for RMB 599 (other star players like Kyrie Irving of the Boston Celtics feature for the same price).
Curry and James reappear here as bobblehead-like figurines
Curry diehards can also head upstairs to compare their heights to a wall display clearly showing the towering stature of the famed Splash Brother and the even taller 203cm visage of James. Both of-the-moment players are also represented by goofy bobblehead-esque statues near the second-floor entrance, surrounded by Spalding balls that can be purchased for RMB 250-300. That upper floor also has NBA action figures, towels, stress balls, women’s and children’s basketball sweaters and jogging pants, and more.
The second floor is more clothing-oriented
In all, it's likely that casual basketball fans will cry foul at the steep prices found in this huge flagship store, opting instead to stay on the sidelines, but diehards will be happy to have a home base to browse and splurge on eclectic wares and NBA memorabilia. With the NBA having announced that it plans to open up 1,000 more China stores in the next five years, it seems that this massive outlet is only the beginning.
NBA Store
Daily 10am-9pm
88 Wangfujing Dajie, Dongcheng District
东城区东单王府井大街88号
(010) 5107 7401
READ: Dig Into Beijing's Best Bar and Restaurant Openings in March
Photos: NBA (pr.nba.com), Kyle Mullin
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