INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Anyone who has been following social media since NBA All-Star Game weekend may have been surprised to spot an unfamiliar face among some of the league’s biggest names and legends.
Chinese actor Dylan Wang took social media by storm while visiting Indianapolis for Friday’s All-Star Celebrity Game.
In fact, on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, Wang trended Saturday night on the NBA All-Star Weekend 2024 page, with more than 10,000 posts and counting on him, and everyone else. It was shown that it is superior. That number continued to rise Sunday.
And what’s really amazing is that Mr. Wang achieved the highest individual interaction rate ever on WeChat with 484 million.
So, who is Dylan Wang?
The 25-year-old was born as the son of a roadside skewered restaurant owner, and rose to fame after winning “Super Idol.” This Chinese reality show lasted only one season and had contestants show off their singing, dancing, and other performance skills. Wang’s victory led to his film career.
When searching for him on Netflix in Indiana, subscribers can find him in 2018’s “Meteor Garden,” 2021’s “The Rational Life,” and 2022’s “Fairy Tales.” None of the movies are dubbed in English, and only Chinese with English subtitles is available.
When Wang arrived at Indianapolis International Airport, fans flocked to take videos of him. The video showed people carrying illuminated signs with messages in Chinese. Some reportedly shouted “Didi,” which comes from his first name Eddie and sounds like the Chinese word for “younger brother.”
Just like Taylor Swift, Wang’s fans know a lot about him, including his love of basketball. Trending photos included locations in Sichuan province where Wang played basketball as a child.
In a much-shared video, Wang came face-to-face with NBA Hall of Famer Paul Gasol. The two exchanged gifts, took pictures, talked in the locker room, and played a game of Pop-A-Shot basketball.
A fan commented on Gasol’s video, saying, “Our Diddy is living in a dream!” Next, let him meet his idol, LeBron James. ”
When they finally met, they took a selfie. The video showed the Los Angeles Lakers forward and the actor dancing and James signing Wang’s jersey. Fans had high expectations for this meet-up, so Chinese television recorded it and aired it. The video showed Wang unable to contain his glee as he received the jersey, pressing the shirt to his face.
After watching one of these videos, one fan commented, “This is such a special moment, I’m so happy,” while another fan said, “Oh my god #DylanOne admires LeBron. I got to meet James and I’m so happy for him, he’s such a great Diddy.” ”
As Mr. Wang enters and exits Lucas Oil Stadium for celebrity games, many girls and young women take videos and shout affectionate names such as “Diddy” to get his attention. continued. He thanked the fans multiple times from the court.
During the match, Wang won the hearts of the audience. He only played in the second half, but at one point made two consecutive 4-pointers. After Chinese and American TV commentators praised the impressive scoring set, the crowd roared when Wang imitated the pose James uses to do the same.
Mr. Wang’s team won 100-91. He was the third-leading scorer with 18 points.
Fans found reason to comment on Wang’s interactions during his time in Indianapolis. One person wrote, “When Diddy met @TyHaliburton22 and hung out together, it was incredibly beautiful and I’m so happy for my love. He deserves it.”
Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton was asked during a press conference Saturday about starting his own WeChat channel to interact with the Chinese market.
The reporter asked, “Is there anything you would like to say to the Chinese fans who have supported you throughout your journey and for the All-Star Game?”
Halliburton said, “I appreciate the love. It’s so cool to be on Chinese social and interact with my fans. It means a lot to me. So I think I appreciate it. I feel like it had a lot to do with me coming in first place in the voting. I know people see players in Indiana and don’t expect that, but the reaction I received from the Chinese fans is… Love was amazing.”
Wang was in the Indianapolis area for State Farm All-Star Saturday Night. He sat and chatted with Chinese commentators during slam dunks, 3-point shots and skill challenges. Fans went wild when Wang, from his seat on the scorer’s bench, began eating what appeared to be fried food written on paper from a cardboard container.
Also on Saturday’s broadcast, Wang spoke for Chinese commentators about his encounter with James. The actor said that even though he was tired from traveling across so many time zones by the time he arrived in Indianapolis, he jumped out of his hotel bed when he heard he had a chance to meet his NBA idol. Told. Mr. Wang said he was excited when they met and James unexpectedly reached out to him.
On Sunday night and even Monday morning in China, fans of the actor were still sharing photos of the jersey LeBron signed in Indianapolis with the hashtag #NBAAllStar2024.