What is it with China’s national men’s basketball team? After its throwdown with the Brazilian national team last week, the team has now been involved in three of the worst fights in international basketball this decade. There was China-Lebanon in 2001, China-Puerto Rico in 2005 (video), and now China-Brazil in 2010. The latest came in…
Author: chinasportstoday
Yao’s trip to China for Rockets-Nets preseason series
This year’s annual NBA China Games was supposed to be NBA China’s dream matchup—seven-time all-star Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets facing Yi Jianlian on their home soil. But after Yi was traded to the Washington Wizards, the games became all about Yao and the Rockets. Game 1 was in Beijing, and Houston won, 91-81. Yao…
NJ Nets big in China? Show me the game plan
The New Jersey Nets are going to be big in China—just ask the New Jersey Nets. Judging from his comments in a recent New York Times piece inspired by the Nets’ trip to Russia and China, Nets CEO Brett Yormark believes the Nets are destined to build a huge fan base in China. The story is…
Quick Hits: Gymnastics, boxing, beach volleyball, NBA
Gold for Chinese men at gymnastics worlds China’s men’s gymnastics team won gold at last week’s Artistic Gymnastics World Championship in Rotterdam, Netherlands, barely beating out runner-up Japan, and setting up a big showdown with their rivals at November’s Asian Games. The Chinese team consisted of: Chen Yibing (rings, vault), Feng Zhe (vault, parallel bars,…
Zhang chooses CBA over Cal
Max Zhang (Zhang Zhaoxu, 张兆旭) is leaving the NCAA for the CBA, according to has opted not to finish his last two years on the UC-Berkeley basketball team, according to reports from Sina.com (in Chinese) and Oakland Tribune reporter Jeff Faraudo, writing at Bear Talk, which follows Cal sports. Instead of returning to the Golden Bears, where he…
Poor play, profanities hurt the feelings of Chinese soccer fans
The Asian Games officially kick off with the opening ceremonies in Guangzhou tonight, but the football (soccer) action got off to an early start with preliminaries over the past week—and for hosts China, it’s been a rough start, with poor performance and a star player insulting fans on the Internet. China lost its first game…
Li Na bounced in round two, Peng Shuai to face Sharapova in round four
As Wimbledon enters its second week, there is a Chinese player still in the running, but not the one that most fans would have expected to see still alive. Peng Shuai faces Maria Sharapova at 12:00 noon local time Monday, after Li Na followed her French Open win with a disappointing second-round exit from Wimbledon. She lost…
Harlem Globetrotters Flying Through China
Tonight is the first night of a 15-day, 10-city China tour for the Harlem Globetrotters, who have entertained around the world for more than 80 years. Their one-of-a-kind combination of slapstick comedy, basketball skills, tricks and showmanship is where sports meets family-friendly vaudeville show. The Globetrotters were one of the acts brought in to fete Deng…
Yao’s solemn exit leaves a big void in the NBA and Chinese sports
In a press conference that’s been anticipated by the Chinese sports world for the last two weeks, Yao Ming announced his retirement from basketball this afternoon in Shanghai. The press conference was broadcast all over China, playing live on TV, online, even on the screens in Beijing’s subway cars. The press conference was hosted by Xu…
FINA Worlds: China improving in swimming, water polo
China finished aquatics world championships on a high note last weekend, with 19-year-old Sun Yang snagging the host country’s fifth swimming gold and setting a world record in the men’s 1,500-meter freestyle. Sun, who also won the 800-meter freestyle event and took silver in the 400, finished in 14:34.14, beating Grant Hackett’s 10-year-old record. Sun…