In the NBA, the turning point of the year 2000 rhymes with Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan or Allen Iverson. But much further from the spotlight, he also rhymes with Zhizhi. Wang Zhizhi by his full name, or 王治郅 in the original version, is the pioneer of Chinese basketball in the biggest league in the world, even before Yao Ming.
The National Basketball Association, as its name suggests, was originally almost exclusively American. In the first decades, there were a few Canadians here and there, a small handful of Europeans but relatively few nations represented in total. The cause is the turbulence linked to the Cold War between the United States and the Iron Curtain countries.
Little by little, especially from the 1990s, the NBA became international, driven by the work of David Stern. And it was in 2001 that the first Chinese player in history took to the courts, not without difficulty and negotiations. The man whose first name means “king” in Mandarin has constantly traveled back and forth between China and America, and his trajectory is as winding as it is avant-garde.
“Wang Zhizhi’s path is far more tortuous and difficult than anything most Chinese athletes have ever experienced.” –Yao Ming
From Zhejiang province to Texas, the cultural revolution
Wang was born in China on July 8, 1977, in a country in turmoil a year after the death of Mao Zedong. Between a mother of 1m93 and a father of a little over 2m, both professional basketball players, his adolescence held great growth in store for him. At a very young age, he was used to prosecutors and was sent to the People’s Liberation Army at the age of 13. In addition to a military education, he received the best basketball training in the country.
In 1995, the year of the creation of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), he joined the Bayi Rockets at a height of 2m13. He is one of the nation’s stars, outrageously dominating the rackets and winning titles in spades with the team based in Ningbo in Zhejiang province. At 17, he became the youngest player in the country’s history to join the national team.
In 1999, he expressed his ambition to join the NBA and chose to declare it publicly. For China, historically very protective of its athletes, it is almost a surprise when the Dallas Mavericks call its name with the 36th pick.
April 5, 2001: Dallas Mavericks C Wang Zhizhi became the 1st Chinese-born player to play a NBA game in history pic.twitter.com/YJXlGDQ9bb
— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) April 5, 2021
His Bayi Rockets team, then the CBA management, categorically refused to let the pivot leave. Impossible for them to see one of the rising stars of Chinese basketball join the United States. Months of negotiations then followed to find a compromise.
“The NBA seemed within reach. I felt like if I stretched out my hands I could reach him, but at the same time I felt like my arms weren’t long enough.”
– Wang ZhiZhi
In the meantime, China and its double Wang Zhizhi – Yao Ming are competing in the Olympic Games in Australia. In the first round, Zhizhi stood against France with a great Antoine Rigaudeau (29 points), but failed to win despite 9 points and 10 rebounds from Wang. However, he showed a good level during the tournament and finished as his team’s top scorer with 13.5 points.
Finally, in April 2001, the CBA agreed to let the kingpin leave under conditions. In particular, he will have to respond to all calls from the national team. Almost 2 years after his draft, he set foot on the NBA floor for the first time on April 5, 2001. He scored 6 points in 8 minutes against the Hawks, a small revolution.
Between truncated experience in the NBA and break with China
Because of the schedule and long negotiations, his first “season” only included 10 games before a few minutes in the Playoffs. Integrating into his new life is anything but easy and the language barrier quickly poses a problem. Between interpreter and nodding heads, the challenge is immense.
In a team that has Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash or Michael Finley, there is not much room offensively, the pivot’s primary quality. While his 2001-02 season crystallized expectations and challenges, the momentum was broken after a quick phone call from Asia. The Bayi Rockets need a helping hand in the National Playoffs, and under the conditions set out the previous year by the CBA, Wang Zhizhi must comply. He thus missed the first weeks of competition and returned to the NBA courts on December 8 when Dallas had already played 14 matches.
Adapting to a style of play, obviously very different, and to his teammates is not an easy task, and the Chinese maxes out at just over 10 minutes per match. However, he stood out a little at the end of the season, notably thanks to his shooting. Zhizhi is rather dexterous for his size, one of the first “stretch five” at his scale.
He sent 12 points at 4/6 behind the arc against the Heat on March 2, 2022, before an 18-point performance at 4/4 from the parking lot coming off the bench three weeks later. Wang is the sleeping giant in the Mavs squad.
But everything changes the following summer.
His contract with Dallas having expired, the Chinese’s future in the NBA is uncertain. Wishing to hold on to his American dream, he is aware of the obstacle that CBA conditions represent. Apart from the summer competitions, which he wants to honor, he wants to be able to play a full season, training camps included.
This is how he disobeyed and decided to skip preparation for the Asian games in favor of the 2002 NBA Summer League. After another intense battle with the Chinese league, he finally signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Clippers in October. As a direct result, Wang Zhizhi was excluded from the national team and considered a traitor by the Chinese media.
He has no choice but to lower his head and devote himself 100% to his new Californian adventure. However, he will not have much more success than in Dallas. He alternates between evenings without moving from the bench and 10-minute matches when he is called up. Despite a performance of 21 points and 6 rebounds at 9/12 shooting in March 2003 against the Nuggets, he did not convince the coaching staff. He was sent to the Heat the following year, and his NBA dream ended in 2005 without further success.
Despite a low reputation in his native country, he decided to return there in April 2006, with a goal of redemption. He declared on arrival:
“I’m sorry, I made a mistake. Please forgive me and give me a chance to start again. I won’t let you down.”
Zhizhi was reinstated to the national team and played the opening match of the 2006 World Cup against Team USA in the red jersey. Despite some underlying tensions, the continental success at the turn of the 2010s allows for easier forgiveness. The pivot announced his retirement in 2014 and was finally rewarded in his country for his contribution.
China’s own & former 5-year NBA pro Wang Zhizhi gives a special gift to Dirk Nowitzki! #NBAChinaGames #ThisIsWhyWePlay 🎸 pic.twitter.com/GSWMISxi1C
— NBA (@NBA) October 5, 2018
Through his career, he was an example and a pioneer of Chinese basketball in the United States. In his wake, Mengke Bateer (2002) then Yao Ming (2003) will also have this experience and their share of negotiations.
Despite a relatively short and delicate NBA career, Wang will go down in basketball history for his resilience in pursuing his ambitions. Zhizhi is not the greatest, but the first Chinese in the history of the NBA.
Source texte : MavsMoneyBall, ESPN, News China MagNBA, Basketball Reference,
2024-04-05 15:16:00
#Wang #ZhiZhi #Chinese #player #NBA
