Nike Basketball News

WBF Blog: Zhu Fangyu

tonyhellberg1 — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 20:26:54 GMT

Arguably: the strongest team in all of Asia.

More FIBA Asia Championships than any other competing nation.

Zhu’s four CBA Finals MVP awards leave few reasons to argue against his standing as one of the nation’s most outstanding performers. Zhu’s CBA League MVP honor only cements his consideration.

Press play on the discussion:

• 6 National Championships with the Guangdong Southern Tigers
• 17.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game in 2009-10
• A career-high 39 points - highlighted by 9-of-11 threes - against Liaoning in January
• Appearances with the 2008 Beijing and the 2004 Athens Chinese Olympic teams

Dispute at your own peril.

WBF Blog: Wang Shipeng

tonyhellberg1 — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:38:58 GMT

You can’t tame on-court versatility.

Simply: players with the ability to slide effortlessly between positions create matchup nightmares for the opposition.

Plug in a fierce level of competitiveness. Pair it with a daring sense of controlled aggression. And watch the numbers pile up.

On the 2009-10 season, Wang averaged 15.7 points and 4 rebounds - in just 28.9 minutes per game.

Highlight reel: in January, he drilled 7-of-11 threes on his way to a career-high 36 points against Shanxi.

But stats are meaningless if they don’t add up to wins. And for the Guandong Southern Tigers, much is expected. See: Wang’s role in 6 of their National Championships.

Coming from a player with game-winning FIBA championship shots on his resume, that should come as no surprise. Especially because China needed a win to advance on that day in 2006 - and the three at the buzzer that sent China on to the next round was Wang’s first basket of the game.

Add it all up. Credit Wang with 2007 Chinese Basketball Association All-Star Game MVP honors. Recognize his role on the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympic teams.

And in the face of formidable odds and nearly-impossible-to-control outcomes, never sleep on Wang’s versatility.

Simply: he’ll just find a way to win.

More Than A Game: Hope in China

hoffcobra — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 16:02:41 GMT

More Than a Game: Zhang Yuan Wei is one of China’s more than 20 million migrant kids, who often live on the move, in poverty and with only a 9th-grade education. Despite it all, basketball gives him the confidence, determination and friends to push for a better life for him and his family

Zhang Yuan Wei won’t let anything keep him from playing basketball. And that makes him unstoppable off the court as well. There’s no denying that life for most of China’s 20 million migrant kids is hard. Through sport they gain self-respect, determination and skills that will help them in life, like communications, teamwork and creativity.

Since 2006 Nike has supported school sports for migrant kids through China Children and Teenagers’ Fund’s “Let Me Play” program. Together we have reached over 300,000 youth in 7 cities across China. This week Nike Basketball and Lebron James helped raise awareness about the situation for migrant kids and how basketball is empowering them. To commemorate the week’s events, the sports program was expanded to 2 new cities. Now migrant kids in Shenyang and Shanghai will also benefit from special PE curriculum, equipment and teacher training as well as have a basketball league all their own!

Find out more about the migrant kids in China and learn how you can make a difference in Beijing/Shenyang: China Children & Teenagers’ Fund. http://www.cctf.org.cn/rww.asp?cc=3&dd=332&ee=121

Or in Shangai: Hands on Shanghai http://www.handsonshanghai.org/ and Children’s Arts Initiative http://www.cai-china.org/site/index.php/zh

The Competition: Yi Jianlian

GHarty — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:31:53 GMT

For the host nation of China, the return of a healthy Yi Jianlian could mean their first ever medal in Olympic basketball.

To the Chinese, 8 is more than just a number. It represents luck. It brings prosperity. But when the Olympics kick off on 8.8.08, if China wants to win its first ever medal in basketball, they’ll need more than a number. They’ll need a healthy Yi Jianlian to play his best basketball.

Ever since he was young, Yi has made a name for himself on the court. At 16, he towered over his opponents, finding little competition in his hometown. But with his level of skill and quickness, he was soon invited to the United States to play in a summer tournament. He shined against the elite youth in America, gaining some early buzz, and when he returned to China, he moved up to the professional level in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

In his first season, he dominated the court with lightning quick moves and power in the paint, earning him the Rookie of the Year award. Five seasons straight he led his team to the finals, to championship wins in '04, '05 and '06, also earning the MVP award along the way.

Simply put, he was the best player in China.

Despite being only 17, his coaches knew he was ready for the Chinese Senior National Team. Yi got his first taste of senior international competition at the 2004 Summer Games. The young team made the quarterfinals, but lost by 20 to a strong Lithuanian squad.

In 2006, he played at the FIBA World Championships, averaging 6 points and 6 rebounds a game. But unable to carry his team, China fell early to Greece and took 15th place in the tournament.

But even after those tough losses, the NBA spotted young, raw talent and came knocking. His combination of height (7’0), skill and potential was too good to pass up, and in the 2007 Draft, Milwaukee made him the 6th overall pick.

As a rookie, Yi quickly made his mark. He started in the season’s opening game, and in December scored a career-high 29 points over Charlotte. He was named Rookie of the Month shortly after, and played in the Rookie Challenge during All-Star Weekend.

But in early April, Yi’s rookie season was put to an abrupt halt, ending with a devastating knee injury. There’s no guarantee he’ll be 100% by 8.8.08, but he recently ran in the torch ceremony and performed well in exhibition games, so things are looking good for his countrymen. For China to have a chance to win a medal, they’ll need to have a healthy Yi to go up against power forwards like Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol and Amare Stoudemire.

The eyes of the world will be on China in August. And when their national team hits the court, the hopes of over a billion Chinese people will be with him. With a little luck and a lot of Yi, China might just be a contender for gold.

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