Ever since Yao Ming ended his short yet legendary career at the NBA, he has been committing his time to help Chinese Basketball grow. Yao was appointed the president of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2017. In his new role, Yao proved himself worthy of the responsibility, given his successful reform in terms of talent selection and CBA’s commercialization. Yet Yao’s ambition, as well as the whole nation’s ambition, does not stop here. With a market of huge potential and more talent emerging, there is no doubt that Chinese basketball has the potential to become an international powerhouse in the future.
The Broken System
Before recent years, China’s player selection system was way too narrow compared to countries with advanced systems. Professional basketball, in terms of how we understand it in the United States, is a new thing in China. In the past, Basketball, along with most sports, was under the direct control of the government. For kids who wanted to play professional basketball, attending a “sports school” was their only choice. Attending such schools meant giving up the opportunity to receive standard education as well as the path to college. For those who could not reach the professional level, life choices became very limited. As a result, very few parents chose to send kids to play basketball, making it extremely difficult to find proper talent.
On the other hand, coaches were not setting their standards right. Few traits decided whether a kid could keep playing basketball or not, height being the most important among them. Such a standard resulted in three things. First, nearly all the players were tall. Second, not all of them had the talent to play basketball while shorter kids with better talent were ignored. Third, China never had great guards and small forwards. Yao himself and other great players who made the NBA, like Yi Jianlian and Wang Zhizhi, are all products of the system. Not surprisingly, they are all centers or power forwards.
Yao’s Reform: CUBA, Draft, and American High Schools
The value of Yao Mings’s career is far beyond himself playing in the league. The Hall of Famer brought his understanding of American Basketball back to his homeland. CBA adopted the NBA’s draft system under Yao, providing opportunities for college players to become professional. CUBA, China’s university league, has become more prominent ever since. Sports schools are no longer the only choices for players. As a result, players from a far broader talent pool find their way to climb up the levels. In 2020’s CBA draft, more guards and small forwards made the lottery picks than centers and power forwards, which signals a more balanced and scientific selection system in effect.
Yao also leads a few programs for player development, including sending young talent to American high schools. More and more young players have the opportunity to play in American high schools, make ways to NCAA and CBA, and aim for the NBA in the future. Zeng Fanbo is a successful example of the programs. Zeng was rated 4-star by ESPN and ranked the 34th in high school players. He has already received scholarship offers from schools like Florida State. Kevin Zhang, who played for Tulane in NCAA D1, has made his way to the CBA and averages over 12 points in his rookie season. If Yao can keep up the efforts, more players will find their way like Kevin and Fanbo did and the day when another Chinese player enters the NBA may not be far.
All the new opportunities created by Yao’s administration give players opportunities to gain exposure to different levels of competitions. On average, CUBA players play 40-50 games each year against different levels of opponents. Players who are selected from sports schools only play around 30 games each year in CBA’s youth league while their opponents all have a similar experience. Yao’s reform provides a bigger and more experienced talent pool.
A More Entertaining CBA
In the eyes of many Chinese fans, the CBA used to be a mediocre league. It had nothing to be compared to the NBA. After Yao Ming became president, he has put a lot of effort into details. For example, simple yet important things like the quality of the floors, lighting, and atmosphere. Combining these factors with higher level players, CBA games are becoming more entertaining to watch.
In terms of broadcasting and league coverage, CBA is becoming more professional, especially on replays and highlight shows. Data analysis has also improved a lot, with more categories of data available. Improvements in all these factors make CBA more enjoyable for fans than ever.
Yao’s efforts on league image and commercialization are successful as well. Data shows the CBA has received over $100 million of sponsorships in 2020. The broadcasting right for one season is worth around $70 million now, which is not imaginable in the past. Yao Ming also organized activities for league image. Zhong Nanshan, China’s top expert on disease control, was invited to Guangdong Tigers’ home game to deliver a speech after COVID-19 in China was successfully contained. Such activities received a lot of positive attention and largely improved the public image of the CBA.
Current Problems
Despite the progress Yao has made in his administration, there are still problems lying ahead. Unlike American fans, Chinese fans take international competitions for the utmost importance. The performance of the Chinese national team is under the microscope in every Olympic Games, FIBA World Cup, and Asian Championship. After the terrible performance of the team at home in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, Yao is under immense pressure. On the other hand, government officials in China are often impatient when it comes to sports development. If Yao can’t produce promising results in a few years, his job will be at risk. Luckily, Yao has proved himself competent in terms of reforming the system. Adding on his big name and popularity gained from his NBA career, Yao Ming still has time to pursue his ambition.
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