On the evening of September 12th, the 2026 Yue BA All-Star Game and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Basketball Invitational Tournament took place at the Chang'an Sports Park Gymnasium in Dongguan. Two teams from the Eastern and Western conferences of Yue BA, along with specially invited teams from Hong Kong and Macao, presented two spectacular matches for the audience. NBA superstar Stephen Curry made a surprise appearance, igniting the passion of the fans on-site.

Even before Curry stepped onto the court, fans on the sidelines were already holding up their phones to record—not Curry, but a Zhongshan player wearing the No. 30 jersey. He is Yuan Jinyao, known among fans as "Zhongshan Curry." Diagnosed with leukemia in his senior year of high school, Yuan underwent five years of treatment. On the day the doctor told him he was fully recovered, the first thing he did was run to a basketball court and just sit there. Returning to the court in 2021, during a game against the Yunfu team where his team was trailing by eight points with 58 seconds left, Yuan—who had not scored a single point the entire game—hit three consecutive three-pointers to complete a stunning comeback. That was how the nickname "Zhongshan Curry" spread. On this night, Yuan shared the same court with the real Curry, as the NBA superstar presented the grassroots Yue BA star with the "Most Underrated Player" award.

The basketball tournament system in Chang'an Town includes the "Town BA," "Factory BA" and "School BA," as well as the New Year's Day Cup, Summer Vacation Cup and Evergreen Cup, achieving full-chain and comprehensive coverage. The Chang'an Town Basketball League has been running continuously since 1999, hosting 27 editions to date. Meanwhile, Chang'an has built over 300 standardized basketball courts across the town, forming a "15-minute basketball circle" centered on the Chang'an Sports Park, focusing on communities and grounded in enterprises and schools. On a broader scale, Dongguan's "Town BA" is widely regarded as the pinnacle of grassroots basketball in China.

库里空降、东莞沸腾！粤BA全明星赛开赛

9月12日晚，2026粤BA全明星赛暨粤港澳篮球邀请赛在东莞长安体育公园体育馆进行。来自粤BA东西区的两支球队和特邀参赛的香港队和澳门队一道，为观众呈现了两场精彩较量。NBA巨星斯蒂芬·库里更是惊喜现身，点燃了现场球迷的激情。

在库里还没出场时，场边已经有球迷举着手机在拍——拍的不是库里，而是那个穿30号球衣的中山球员，他就是球迷口中的“中山库里”袁锦耀。袁锦耀在高三时被查出患白血病，前后治疗5年，医生告诉他痊愈那天，他第一时间跑到篮球场坐着。2021年重返赛场，在一场对阵云浮队的比赛，最后58秒中山队落后8分，此前整场一分未得的他连续命中三记三分完成逆转，“中山库里”的名号就这么传开了。这一晚，袁锦耀和真正的库里站在了同一片球场上，NBA超级巨星为粤BA草根球星颁发“最被低估球员”奖。

长安镇的篮球赛事体系包含了“镇BA”、“厂BA”、“校BA”、元旦杯、暑假杯、长青杯，全链条、全覆盖。长安镇篮球联赛从1999年开打，到现在办了27届，从没断过。同时，长安全域建了300多个标准化篮球场，形成了以长安体育公园为核心、社区为重点、企业及学校为基础的“15分钟篮球圈”。往大了说，东莞“镇BA”被称为“中国民间篮球水平的天花板”。

文｜记者 羊城晚报记者 吕航 郝浩宇
图｜记者 钟振彬 李梓骞
译｜陈冠臻
英文审校｜盛嘉