Yao Ming calls for more Chinese to play abroad
(Shenzhen Daily/Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-09-07 16:47
Chinese basketball center Yao Ming believes that more of his Chinese
teammates need to gain experience abroad to help the national team be more
competitive at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, CCTV reported Tuesday.
China's Yao Ming talks
to reporters after team's loss against Greece during their world
basketball championships game in Saitama August 27,
2006.[Reuters] | China finished a disappointing
11th at the world championships in Japan after being knocked out 95-64 by
eventual runner-up Greece last week.Yao, who averaged a tournament-high 25.3
points and virtually carried China into the second round, told CCTV that several
of his teammates should join more competitive leagues overseas.
"As the 2008 Olympics are drawing near, we should send abroad the likes of Yi
Jianlian and Wang Shipeng as soon as possible in a bid to raise our level in the
short term," the NBA All-Star center said.
"Even if our basketballers fail to play as regulars, we still could benefit
at least from their training. I played as a substitute 10 minutes per game
initially, too. It depends on your will and work."
Yao lamented his teammates' lack of strength and courage after China crashed
out of the worlds, and remarked in media reports last week that Chinese
basketball was too inward-looking. But he conceded it was "impossible" for
domestic clubs hungry for national success to send key players to foreign
leagues.
China's basketball officials, concerned that foreign careers might interrupt
national duty, have also been reluctant to allow young talents to seek their
fortunes in overseas leagues.
Yi Jianlian, touted as China's next Yao Ming and courted by several NBA
clubs, declined to enter this year's NBA draft.
Menk Bateer and Wang Zhizhi, the other two towers in China's NBA "Great
Wall," were characterized by regular transfers and little game time.
Wang and the rest of Yao's teammates will return to domestic league clubs for
the kickoff of the CBA 2006-07 season in October.
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