Though Michael Jordan still regularly appears on Gatorade bottles (a recent picture I took), posters, and top of the line basketball shoes, the future of American dominance of the Chinese basketball market is in jeopardy. Already with recent stars of Yao Ming on the Houston Rockets and rookie Yi Jian Lian on the Milwaukee Bucks, Chinese basketball's popularity and talent is rapidly increasing.
Given not all Chinese have the natural build for basketball. Case in point, I have always been a shooting guard growing up. But now that I have grown a little to 6'1' and live in China, I am always the big center that gets many of the rebounds (needless to say my inside game is a little rough given I've never played in the post before). But though the average Chinese is definitely shorter than the average
American, I have played against, and seen many more, people who are definitely taller than me.
I've heard on order of 400 million basketball enthusiasts here (and I'd believe it given the amount of streetball I see everywhere!), So with a number of followers like that, well more than the American population, why isn't China turning out more Yao MIngs? My answer is threefold:
-Its Youth: I was struck when playing basketball with a college student recently and he told me he has been playing for 3 years, to which I had to be honest and say, I'd been playing for 18!
-Its Organization: I almost never see organized teams or coaches to have athletes play together. It always pickup streetball, which hurts their understanding of "team ball"
-Its Model: NBA. That's all people here watch! Their fundamentals suffer for it! Television now shows 4 games a week and recently, much to my delight, even been adding an NCAA game in the mix!
The latest in the growth of the Chinese basketball market, the takeover of Chinese Basketball Association by NBA just two months ago. Sure to be the first step before the NBA as was the case for Yao Ming and Yi Jin Lian, the CBA has almost no following among Chinese and could use a big boost! (Article: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/2008-01-14-698984466_x.htm)
So, even Yao Ming's injury last week, possibly keeping him out of the Olympics, may not be such a catastrophe after all. Maybe its just the opportunity for many future Yaos to step up and give Chinese basketball a name for themselves! There's one thing Americans still have: I still haven't seen any Chinese that can match Shaq's frame inside! Keep bringin the McD's!
