Washington D.C.: The National Basketball Association's (NBA) Washington Wizards hosted a Taiwanese Heritage Night during their match against the Orlando Magic.
According to Focus Taiwan, the Taiwan-themed event was sponsored by the nonprofit Millennial Global Youth (MGY). The event featured a bucket hat giveaway for those who purchased tickets to watch the game at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. The hats came in two designs: one was solid red with the Wizards' team logo and the Chinese characters for 'Washington Wizards,' while the other featured a white background adorned with the Republic of China (Taiwan) national flag.
The MGY also produced a limited edition of 300 jerseys given to ticket holders that came with the word "Taiwan" and the number "52," which sounds like "I love Taiwan" in Mandarin Chinese. Lee Chung-hui, who was in charge of the Taiwan-themed event, expressed delight that around 500 Taiwanese fans attended the game wearing the Taiwanese Wizards jerseys and hats. Some attendees, including Weng Pei-ling and Hsu Kuan-yi, praised the event, noting that it brought together Taiwanese people living overseas and introduced the country to others.
Melina Wisecup, who is married to a Taiwanese person working in Washington, shared her happiness in participating in the event and enjoyed seeing different cultures come together. "The atmosphere was truly amazing, and I was thrilled to be a part of it," Wisecup said. The MGY was founded by a group of Taiwanese living in Washington, D.C., and works to promote multiculturalism and diversity. Lee said the organization hopes to integrate overseas Taiwanese youth into mainstream American society through sports and culture while also promoting Taiwan.
According to the MGY, Friday night was the first-ever Taiwanese Heritage Night hosted by a professional basketball team affiliated with the NBA.