Injury-prone Australian basketballer Ben Simmons may be a target of scorn for fans from Philadelphia and Brooklyn, the two NBA teams he has played for during a turbulent career. But the former No. 1 draft pick, who was born in Melbourne, got a much warmer reception from the Chinese this week when he donated a basketball court to a town in a rural province.

“My wish is to bring the joy of basketball to more people, so I wanted to donate a court to help places where people love the game and can benefit from new facilities,” Simmons said in a virtual press conference beamed in to promote his gift to Machang Town.