With a vertical height of 43.7 inches, Heng Wang from Beijing bested four other finalists at the Greater China Nike+ Basketball Vertical Dunk Challenge at Shanghai’s Nike+ Festival of Sport 2012 on Friday. The contest, open to participants internationally this summer, featured judges including LeBron James, Amar’e Stoudemire, Rudy Gay, Paul George and Chinese men’s national team assistant coach Li Nan. Football player LaDainian Tomlinson as well as skateboarders Eric Koston, Omar Salazar, Stefan Janoski and Theotis Beasley also joined in the judging.
Nike+ Basketball measures how high, how hard and how quickly players complete. Players competing in the showcase wore the Nike Hyperdunk+, which is connected to the Nike+ Basketball mobile app.
Aside from the slam dunk showcase, Nike+ trial zones were set up for festival attendees to experience how “information is motivation.” Rudy Gay and Paul George also stopped by the trial zones to check out the action.
Next up: A Live Dunk Showcase in Berlin on Aug. 27. LeBron will serve as the official judge for the Nike+ Global Dunk Showcase Finals.
LeBron James spent the last day of his Nike China tour making the rounds at the Nike+ Festival of Sport 2012 in Shanghai. The four-day festival is aimed at encouraging sports participation in China and features a variety of sports and superstar athletes, drawing thousands of attendees.
LeBron took a break from the courts to play beach volleyball with Chinese national team players Xue Cheng and Zhang Xi. He also played some ping pong and worked out at the Nike Training Club area. He then joined Amar’e Stoudemire, Rudy Gay and Paul George to judge the Nike+ Basketball Vertical Dunk Challenge. Other judges included Chinese men’s national team assistant coach Li Nan, American football superstar LaDainian Tomlinson and skateboarders Eric Koston, Omar Salazar, Stefan Janoski and Theotis Beasley.
“The Festival of Sport is a great stage for kids to try out various sports,” LeBron said. “The passion here is amazing. I’m blessed to be a part of it.”







