With no men's team to cheer for at the Olympic basketball tournament this summer, China's top sports governing body is putting the heat on the game's administrators to reverse the national program's alarming slide.
Once a source of national pride, the men's team has failed to live up to public expectations, with recent results highlighting the urgent need for an overhaul to restore competitiveness, the General Administration of Sport of China said in a meeting on Sunday.
Wang Zhelin (R) of Shanghai Sharks loses the ball during the 45th round match between Beijing Ducks and Shanghai Sharks at the 2023-2024 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Beijing, China, March 20, 2024. (Xinhua/Wang Lili)
"Despite some positive results in recent years, there remains quite a big gap between the standards of a world powerhouse and the actual progress of basketball development in our country," the GASC said in a statement. "Compared to fans' high expectations, there is still insufficient courage and resolve to confront the problems hampering the national team.
"The sport's governing body and all parties involved shall proactively identify all the weaknesses and focus on implementing measures immediately to fix all these issues and push for substantial improvements."
Sunday's meeting was the second of its kind in a month called by the GASC to hear work reports from the Chinese Basketball Association, reflecting concerns at the highest level over the big-ball game's profile.
With the Chinese men's soccer team gaining an unwanted reputation as a perpetual underachiever, China's ambition to develop into a more balanced sporting powerhouse, with strong big-ball programs at its core, is now also being compromised on the basketball court.
At the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team China finished with four blowout defeats in five games to rank a worst-ever 29th place out of 32 teams and, crucially, miss out on qualification for the Olympic tournament for the second consecutive Games.
Back-to-back losses to the Philippines — first at the World Cup in Manila and then in the semifinals of the home Asian Games in October — were followed by a first defeat to Japan in 88 years in a 2025 Asia Cup qualifier two months ago.
The litany of defeats has left the men's squad as one of the most reviled sports teams in the country, drawing harsh criticism on the CBA, chaired by hoops legend Yao Ming.
During Sunday's meeting, the GASC also warned the CBA of the risk of falling into disgrace in the same manner as several former soccer officials currently being investigated for serious disciplinary violations, such as match-fixing and bribery.
"Lessons should be learned from the negative cases in the soccer field and the operation of basketball administration should be kept under transparent supervision all the time," said the GASC.
In contrast to the men, China's women's national team has enjoyed considerable success on the international stage in recent years. And with the team tipped to reach the podium at this summer's Paris Olympics, the GASC urged the women's squad to guard against complacency and try to come out of its "comfort zone".
No rush on Yang
Despite the men's team's lackluster performances, China's domestic league has still managed to produce an NBA prospect in young Qingdao Eagles center Yang Hansen.
The versatile 7-foot-1 (2.18-meter) CBA rookie, who turns 19 in June, has even earned comparisons to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic, thanks to his ability to dictate play on both ends of the floor.
Although still a work-in-progress, Yang's potential has attracted the attention of NBA scouts and he was touted as a candidate for this summer's NBA draft.
The Eagles organization, however, confirmed recently that, after a thorough discussion with Yang, his family and the club's coaching team, the youngster will not sign up for this year's NBA draft.
"We are not going to rush things on Yang's progression as a pro. He's not mature enough yet for an overseas opportunity and all the challenges, on the court and culturally, that come with that," Qingdao head coach Liu Weiwei said last week.
"We believe he still needs more drills to toughen up in the domestic league. However, in the near future we will prepare some international practice and competitions for him to eventually get him ready (for the draft)," added Liu.
"He's quite calm and currently focused on the CBA season. Should an opportunity present itself at the right time, we'd be extremely proud of him to make it to the NBA."
Touted as the next big thing since Yao for Chinese basketball, Yang has averaged 15 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 2.2 blocks over the course of 33.8 minutes per night to help Qingdao win 31 out of its 52 regular-season games and make it to the CBA playoffs as the seventh seed.
Keen to form a deeper assessment beyond the stats, several NBA clubs, including the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Miami Heat, have sent scouts to keep tabs on Yang's progress and analyze his draft prospects this season.