"Twenty-three NBA games were broadcast live during the New Year. It's a tremendous celebration of the New Year as well as basketball," said Shoemaker.

The campaign certainly had an impact during Chinese New Year as fans flocked to a NBA viewing party in Beijing and gathered around their TVs to watch games on CCTV 5.

"You have never seen Chinese fans celebrate Spring Festival this way, have you?" said Wang Meng, a 20-year-old university student, who participated in the NBA Chinese New Year viewing party in Beijing. "We traditionally stay at home and spend time with family, but having this cool basketball element makes the family reunion even better. The Chinese New Year program has given us the opportunity to enjoy the game of basketball with our families and friends it is just awesome."

The differences between Chinese and US fans have traditionally been stark, but after years of sharing common sporting bonds, the only difference now is the language in which they cheer for their favorite teams.

"We are approaching a unique sporting moment. People in the US and China are paying close attention to this Chinese New Year. They are tuning in to see what the two nations have in common - and that is a shared passion for basketball," Wang said.

To further get a taste of Chinese culture, Shoemaker and former NBA star Peja Stojakovic, who was born in the Year of Snake, visited a Chinese fan's home and cooked a traditional dinner.

"It's a great and interesting experience for me to be in China and spend the New Year. Chinese people are so nice and they made us feel comfortable," said Stojakovic.

Stojakovic and Shoemaker made Chinese paper cuttings and even dumplings. The sharp shooter also celebrated his zodiac animal year with 500 fans at the NBA viewing party in Beijing with WNBA player and WCBA championship winner Maya Moore, who was also born in the Year of the Snake.