Professional basketball is a pretty big deal in China, and public courts filled with college-aged kids can be found in pretty much every city in the country. Though it’s a somewhat recent cultural phenomenon — basketball only really took off in popularity with the success of Yao Ming, who played in the NBA from 2002-2011 — it’s undoubtedly set roots in the fabric of young, urban China today.Enter Born With Nothing, Equalize With Everything (无中生有, literally “to create something out of nothing”), a new original web series by production company Equalizer. In a WeChat post about the series, Equalizer describes itself as an “independent organization that focuses on the culture of Chinese youth sports,” as well as a “platform for dream catchers.” Its 40-minute pilot takes hoop dreams as its theme.The narrative opens on the Dongdan Elite, a street ball team named after a neighborhood in central Beijing, who are seen taking in one last meal of Peking Duck in a traditional courtyard before traveling to New York’s famed Dyckman Park courts to face off against a local team. They’re joined in this journey by Beijing rapper J-Fever, who kicks off the proceedings with a two-minute track framing the story in fairly epic terms:We rushed from the East to light a fire / So that the torch of the Statue of Liberty continues to illuminate where the sun does not shine … The Earth is a ball, what’s real? / Here’s the answer: You have arrived at the next station, Dyckman.Watch the full episode (with English subs) below, and be sure to stick around for Shanghai artist ChaCha‘s track in the end credits:And if you want to pick up a bit of Chinese street ball slang, this recent guide from The World of Chinese is the best place to start. You’ll be dishing hotpot to your chicken-thieving foes in no time.—You might also like:Should Dwyane Wade Accept a $25 Million Deal in China?“Aren’t You Bored?” Rapper J-Fever on Redefining his CraftYin: ’90s Throwback with Yin Ts’ang, China’s Original Rap Group
