Full Court Comeback: China’s Trailblazing NBA Star Trades Sneakers for a Whistle
Wang Zhizhi Joins Chinese National Team as Coach to Revitalize Men’s Basketball
China’s first advance to the quarterfinals of the men’s basketball competition at the Summer Olympics was in 8th place at the 26th Atlanta Games in 1996. It is also the first time that China has achieved consecutive top 10 finishes until the 27th Sydney Games in 2000.
Wang Zizhi, a key player during China’s golden age, shined at the Atlanta Olympics, ranking 2nd in free throw success rate. He also excelled at the Sydney Olympics, ranking 4th in free throw success rate, 8th in average score, and 9th in shooting success rate.
Wang Zhizhi, who was selected 36th overall in the 1999 NBA Draft, made Asian sports history by becoming the first Chinese player to play in the NBA. He appeared in 137 regular season games from 2000 to 2005 and earned a cumulative annual salary of $5,731,839 (KRW 7.688 billion).
Yao Ming, the 6th president of the Chinese Basketball Association, is considered one of the greatest stars of Asian history. However, after taking office in 2017, the men’s national team failed to qualify for the 32nd Tokyo Games in Japan in 2021 and the 33rd Paris Games in France in 2024.
As a former superstar, the burden of performance is much greater than that of a typical sports administrator. Yao Ming asked his NBA senior Wang Zhizhi to teach the juniors who are currently playing on the national team.
Wang Zhizhi joined the Chinese national team as a coach on August 27, assisting coach Guo Shiqiang. Yao Ming won a silver medal with Guo Shiqiang at the 14th Busan Asian Games in 2002 during his active years.
Wang Zhizhi expressed his expectation that “if the juniors on the national basketball team learn just 70% of senior Wang Zizhi’s skills, such as face-up when catching the ball near the box and facing the opponent, inside footwork, and post play, China will be able to secure its place in world competitions again, not to mention in Asia.”
China’s largest portal site ‘Sina.com’ gave meaning to the story in its own sports content, saying, “Coach Wang Zhizhi, a legendary player, is lending his support to Basketball Association President Yao Ming’s attempt to overcome the crisis.”
Wang Zhizhi’s Personal Records in World Basketball Championship:
- 1996 Olympic Free Throw Accuracy 2nd Place
- 2000 Olympic Free Throw Accuracy 4th Place
- 8th in most points per game at the 2000 Olympics
- 2000 Olympic valid shooting percentage 9th place
- 2010 World Cup Field Goal Success Rate 9th
- 2010 World Cup 3-point adjusted shooting efficiency 10th place
