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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, December 19, 2001

Wang Zhizhi Bridges Chinese Basketball with World

It is a year of ecstasy to the Chinese basketball fans. After a prolonged longing for the world elite basketball league, the American National Basketball Association (NBA), China's talent Wang Zhizhi wrapped up the Odyssey of joining the Dallas Mavericks team to become the first Asian player in NBA. Wang's step has the significance of a milestone of Chinese basketball, and his occidental trip opened the door to the world for his peers in the domestic league.


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Dream Comes True

The 25-year-old center had his dream come true in April when he joined the Mavericks for the 2000-01 season play-off, before he put his full commitment to the American club this season in November.

  • Long-time Wait Before Wang Goes


    • But the 2.15-meter sensation, a Chinese Army lieutenant colonel, did have a hard time to wait for the his military seniors and the Chinese basketball officials to let him go.

    The Chinese Army is a powerhouse in Chinese sports and the military sports machine has created hundreds of world champions.

  • Pressure to Smash Down Barriers


    • The Bayi Team felt much pressure to smash down the barriers to permit its military official to play basketball abroad.

    It takes more than a year for the Bayi Rockets, the club Wang Zhizhi had served for six seasons, to make the final decision earlier this year before Wang had an access to NBA months later.

    Wang's Step A Milestone

    Undoubtedly, the step has the significance of a milestone of Chinese basketball, and Wang's occidental trip opened the door to the world for his peers in the domestic league.

    Yao Ming and Menk Bateer, the other two centers of the well-known "China's Walking Great Wall", have made their minds to follow Wang's step to NBA.

  • Yao Ming


    • Yao, 21, had been planning to announce for the NBA draft this June, but failed to get the nod from his club Shanghai Sharks.

    But it is very likely for the 2.23-meter center to join NBA draft next year could he help his team win the title of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) in the 2001-02 season. The goal is much easier after Wang left the defending champion Bayi Rockets.

  • Bateer


    • For the 26-year-old Bateer, the dream could come true earlier, like in February.

    The Beijing Ducks center, 2.09 meters, had almost got the offer from the Denver Nuggets this summer and could join the NBA team after the first half of the CBA season.

    He could not join the Nuggets immediately because he had to play in the Ninth National Games for the Beijing team in November with the NBA season being started in October.

    China's Basketball League Best in Asia

    Even after Wang left CBA for NBA, China's domestic basketball league is still the best league in Asia and has as much attraction as before.

  • Sina Lions Joins CBA


    • A team from Taiwan province, the Sina Lions, gathered most members of the Chinese Taipei team to join CBA this season after winning the Taiwan league three times in a row.

  • Overseas Players grow


    • More and more overseas players came and played in CBA with some having had remarkable spells with NBA or with the EuroLeague.

    The Mavericks' Wang is just a start for Chinese basketball to have more contact with the world. With Wang wiring tapping between China and NBA, more Chinese sports talents foresee the brighter future of their careers.



    By signing a two-year contract with the Dallas Mavericks on April 4, Chinese center Wang Zhizhi is set to make a historical debut as the first Asian player to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the most competitive basketball league in the world.

    At the 2000 Olympic Games, Wang averaged a team-leading 13.5 ppg and added five rebounds while playing only 26.8 minutes per game. He shot 53.7 percent from the field and 90 percent from the free throw line. He scored a team-high 13 points against the United States in the only game the two countries played.

      Personal Info. of Wang
    Birth Date:
    07/08/1977
    Birthplace:
    		Beijing, China
    College
    None
    Drafted
    1999 Round 2 #36 Dallas Mavericks
      Height:
    7-1
    Weight:
    		220
    		    Advanced

    Wang Zhizhi Signs Two-Year Contract with Dallas Mavericks 

    Wang Zhizhi to Make Historical NBA Debut for Asians

    Wang Zhizhi to Jump on International Stamps





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