Taking flight with Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin in Beijing

Earlier this week, I attended an event in Beijing hosted by the Jordan Brand in their ‘Take Flight’ promotional tour featuring three of the biggest names on their roster: Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks and Clippers teammates Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Missing from the lineup was the fourth big name – Russell Westbrook – who didn’t come to China for some reason (injury rehab, perhaps?)

The Jordan Brand event in Beijing was glossy, to say the least. The media event was designed like an airport as we literally got ready to ‘take flight’, with boarding passes as entry tickets and ushers dressed up as flight attendants. Melo, Paul, and Griffin were interviewed by Jordan representatives about their time in China, their new shoes, and about the upcoming season.

The three players talked about their most memorable moments of the past season. For Chris Paul, it was the All Star weekend, where he ended up winning the MVP award for the first time. For Carmelo Anthony, it was the stretch in early April, when he scored 90 points in two games on 66 percent shooting. For Blake Griffin, the moment was the Clippers’ 17 game winning streak back in December.

All three players spoke about the influence of Michael Jordan on their careers, whose shoes they now bear as they have become stars in their own right. They also mentioned playing and coaching in a five-quarter game with young basketball enthusiasts in Beijing the night before.

The ‘Take Flight Tour’ headed to Shanghai and other Chinese cities, too. Here is a video of some of the events in Beijing via Carmelo Anthony’s website.