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Giants of Chinese basketball play tonight

Wednesday, 21st October 2009 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)

Quick, who was the first Chinese guy to play in the NBA?

A. Yao Ming
B. Wang Zhizhi
C. Ma Jian
D. Mengke Bateer

If you guessed Yao Ming, I can't blame you, but you're wrong. Wang Zhizhi was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in 1999, and suited up two years later. He didn't join the team until the professional season in China was over in the spring of 2001. He went on to play five seasons in the league, with a career average of 9 minutes and 4 points per game.

Okay, I'll give you another chance. Who was the first Chinese player to win an NBA championship?

A. Sun Yue
B. Wang Zhizhi
C. Mengke Bateer
D. Kobe Bryant

Sun Yue got a ring as a Los Angeles Laker last season, despite being relegated to the D-League before the playoffs. But he wasn't the first Chinese player on a championship team. That honor goes to Mengke Bateer, a 6'11" Mongolian who was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in his second season, in time to share in their 2003 championship.

Now that you know who they are, if you're in China, you can watch them play tonight. Wang and Bateer, two aging giants of Chinese basketball, will face each other in the preliminaries of the Chinese National Games tournament. The game comes on at 7 p.m. on CCTV-5.

Wang Zhizhi (left) and Mengke Bateer pose together in 2002.
Wang Zhizhi (left) and Mengke Bateer pose together in 2002.


Wang/Bateer image: Sohu.com

Tags: basketball, Mengke Bateer, national games, NBA, Sun Yue, Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming