Training center

The league has capitalized on its popularity by establishing the Chinese Basketball Association Dongguan Basketball School and NBA Training Center for potential pros.

"We have recruited elite juniors aged 12 to 17 and they train in an NBA facility to become top-level basketball players," said Shoemaker. "It's a collaboration with the CBA. We use our most modern techniques from a coaching level, from a nutrition level and from a physical training level.

"It's one of many ways we can partner with the local federation on the ground in China to further generate the next generation of basketball there."

Yao was the catalyst for the NBA's soaring popularity in China but the now-retired eight-time All-Star plays down his influence in the game's popularity.

"Basketball had a big influence in China, even before the NBA got there," Yao, who retired from the NBA's Rockets in 2011 because of a foot injury, told Reuters. "There was a foundation.

"Fans in China knew the stars of the league long before I played. And you know, I wasn't the first Chinese player in the NBA. I was the third."