NBA Future Star Invitational Opens, Tsinghua High School Men s and Women s Basketball Team Wins the First Game

Singapore, on June 25, 2025, the first NBA Future Star Invitational Tournament hosted by the American Professional Basketball League (NBA) was grandly opened at the Kallang Tennis Center in Singapore. Men's and women's basketball teams from 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Tsinghua High School Men's and Women's Basketball Teams, appeared on the court, launching an impact on the champion of the first NBA Future Star Invitational Tournament. At the opening ceremony, the mascot Bernie from the Heat first appeared to ignite the atmosphere. The Lakers cheerleaders also performed wonderful dances to the audience. Then men's and women's basketball teams from 11 countries in the Asia-Pacific region appeared one after another, and the scene arrangement made people feel like they were in the NBA All-Star arena. NBA legend Yao Ming, two-time WNBA champion Lauren Jackson, NBA Suns active players Ryan Dunn and Oso Iguodaro, as well as Tonaga Kissho from the Japanese B League attended the opening ceremony.

June 25th is the first match day of the event, with a total of seven games, and Tsinghua High School Men's and Women's Basketball Team debuted one after another. The first one to play was the Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team, whose opponent was the Watnoinooppakhun School Women's Basketball Team from Thailand. Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team has the advantage in height, but after the start, the basket felt poor and was hit by the opponent in a row, falling behind 11 to 17 at one point. Zhuang Qiqi, the core inside team of the team, used his height advantage to gradually demonstrated his dominance at the basket. With strong attacks and protection of rebounds at the basket, he stabilized the situation for the team. In the first quarter, Tsinghua High School chased after 18-19 and was only 1 point behind. In the second quarter, Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team found the feeling of the game. Li Yixuan made consecutive three-pointers from the outside. With the original inside advantage, Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team overtook the score and established a 6-point lead with 40-34, forcing the opponent to request a timeout. Before the end of the half, Tsinghua High School Core Xu Anqi quickly switched and scored two points, helping Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team to end the first half with a 43-35 lead.

In the second half, the Thai team increased their intensity and continued to use empty cuts to the basket and long shots from the outside to cause trouble for the Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team. At the end of the third quarter, the score difference between the two sides was narrowed, and the Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team led the opponent by 1 point 54-53. In the fourth quarter, as the Thai team's physical fitness and long-range shooting rate declined, the comprehensive strength advantages of Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team were reflected. With the inside advantage, they continued to hit the opponent's basket, and once expanded their lead to more than ten, and finally won the first victory 74-60. In the whole game, four Tsinghua High School women's basketball team scored in double digits, among which Xu Anqi and Li Yixuan scored the highest 19 points in the team.

The first opponent of Tsinghua High School Men's Basketball Team is the Jubilee School Men's Basketball Team from Indonesia. Tsinghua High School Men's Basketball Team is obviously superior in strength. They took the lead at the beginning. Forward Hou Guancheng scored 8 points in the first quarter, helping the team lead 22-9 at one time. Unlike the competition process of Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team, Tsinghua High School Men's Basketball Team gradually opened up the score in the game and did not give the opponent too many opportunities to chase points. After the third quarter, Tsinghua High School Men's Basketball Team has already achieved a lead of more than 20 points. In the fourth quarter, the Tsinghua High School Men's Basketball Team still maintained high-intensity confrontation. The inside star player Li Junxian had a clear advantage. Hou Guancheng also continued to attack his opponent on the front line, leading 76-45 to 31 points. Then the team replaced the main player and replaced the young players to go on the court to exercise. In the end, the Tsinghua High School Men's Basketball Team defeated the opponent 78-53 and won the first victory of the group stage. In this game, four players from Tsinghua High School men's basketball team scored in double digits. Hou Guancheng scored the highest 22 points in the game, forward Zhang Zihan scored 15 points, and center Li Junxian scored 13 points and 15 rebounds in big double double digits.

After the game, Wang Zeqi, assistant coach of Tsinghua High School men's basketball team, said that the NBA Future Star Invitational Tournament gave Tsinghua High School players a valuable communication opportunity to communicate with student players from different countries in the Asia-Pacific region because they have no idea about their opponents, which also makes players need to adapt to different opponents and different game styles faster.

Next, the next opponent of Tsinghua High School Men's Basketball Team will be Mongolia Orkhon aimag No. 1 High School, and the opponent of Tsinghua High School Women's Basketball Team will be the representative team of SMAR PENABUR School from Indonesia. Yao Ming, who was present in person, also accepted an interview with the media after attending the opening ceremony. Yao Ming said: "I think there is only one way to make the players better, that is, to play better players and compete in the same game. So this game gives the players a good opportunity and platform to communicate with better players and discover their shortcomings."

According to reports, this NBA Future Star Invitational Tournament will last for 5 days, with a round-robin tournament from June 25 to 27, followed by a single-game elimination semi-finals and finals on June 28 and 29.