A series of basketball skill competitions were held at public courts beside the Shanghai Stadium Tuesday as the city counts down to an exhibition game between two NBA teams later this month.

The Sacramento Kings are scheduled to play local hero Yao Ming and his Houston Rockets on October 14 at the stadium.

Tuesday's NBA Jam Session attracted thousands of youngsters, many of whom took part in a three-point shooting competition and a slam dunk contest.

Slam Nation, a renowned dunking group from France, displayed their dazzling skills above the rim, adding extra thrills to the grand show, which will run through Thursday in its first phase and be repeated on October 13 and 14.

The Rockets and Kings will meet in two games in China, one in Beijing and the other in Shanghai. Local enthusiasm toward the games is already running high with the black market price for a 1,000-yuan (US$120) ticket to the Shanghai game soaring to 15,000 yuan.
 
(Shanghai Daily October 6, 2004)