Michael Jordan shows confidence in basketball's future growth

Former NBA legend Michael Jordan showed his confidence in the game of basketball's development in the future when he participated in 2015 NBA Global Games as Charlotte Hornets' boss here on Sunday.

This was the second time that the Hall of Famer came to China after 2004, which gave him a better understanding of how fast basketball has developed over the past several years, not only in the most populous country, but also around the globe.

"We've seen that China has become one of the fast growing basketball fans in the world. I would have never thought that it would grow so fast and big," Jordan recalled his prime time in NBA during 1980s and 1990s.

Seeing the success of NBA Global Games in China, Jordan thought that the basketball's development will never stop in the future.

"I think that it will continue to grow. I think that players will enjoy coming over and relating to their fans here," he said confidently.

During this summer, Hornets added some new faces in their roster, including Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lin. Moreover, the city of Charlotte will host the NBA All-Star Weekend in 2017, along with the team's arena renovation.

In Jordan's eyes, it's all about the team's need for growth.

"We still have some more to come. We want to continue to grow in our city, which gives us a lot of supports. We want to be the winning team and compete in the playoffs," he commented.

Jordan's team upset Los Angeles Clippers 106-94 on Sunday, with the second game in Shanghai next Wednesday. Endi