Yao Ming. (Photo: Agencies)

BEIJING - Chinese basketball icon Yao Ming joined thousands of fans Monday in an online celebration to mark the 129th anniversary of the game's invention.

The event, titled "Collecting Yao's Pass", was co-organized by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and Tiktok. It aims to promote the sport that Canadian school teacher James Naismith invented in December 1891.

The CBA also hopes to raise funds and basketball equipment for three rural primary schools in Dai county, north China's Shanxi province.

Within 24 hours, Yao's video on the Tiktok platform had received around one million views and 30,000 replies.