A player representing Zhuji goes for a layup against defenders during a Zhejiang City Basketball League game in Zhuji, Shaoxing, on July 6. [Photo/Shaoxing News]

The 2025 Zhejiang City Basketball League tipped off July 6 in Zhuji, a county-level city in Shaoxing, where the home team defeated Keqiao district 79-60 in the opening round.

The opening ceremony included team introductions and oaths from players and referees. More than 40 media outlets broadcast the event live across over 100 platforms.

Zhejiang's premier amateur basketball event runs from July to February and features teams from all 90 county-level divisions across the province. Preliminaries end in July, with city championships beginning Aug 8. In Shaoxing, six teams will play 15 games across six rounds from July 6 to 19.

Organizers chose Zhuji for its deep basketball tradition. The city, Zhejiang's only "National Basketball City", has hosted an entire Chinese Basketball Association season and an All-Star Weekend, and holds a Guinness World Record for the number of standard basketball courts among county-level cities.