BASKETBALL/NBA's Washington Wizards host Taiwanese heritage celebration

Washington, March 22 (CNA) The National Basketball Association's (NBA) Washington Wizards hosted a Taiwanese Heritage Night during their match against the Orlando Magic on Friday.

The Taiwan-themed event, sponsored by the nonprofit Millennial Global Youth (MGY), 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 (李中慧), who was in charge of the Taiwan-themed event, said she was delighted that around 500 Taiwanese fans came to watch the game wearing the Taiwanese Wizards jerseys and hats.

Some of them including Weng Pei-ling (翁珮笭) and Hsu Kuan-yi (徐官儀) praised the event saying it brought Taiwanese people living overseas together and introduced the country to others.

Melina Wisecup, who is married to a Taiwanese person working in Washington, said she was happy to have participated 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.