Chen first came to the U.S. in February 2002, with 3 teammates from Weilun Sports School in Guangdong, after winning the 3-on-3 Nike China Streetball Championship in Shanghai a year before. Wang Zhizhi, who watched the 4-membered team play in Dallas, remarked to CCTV reporters about a kid who could dunk with ease at, "such a young age".
After that, Chen spent six months at a U.S. Basketball Academy in Eugene, Oregon, with fellow Chinese prospect Tang Zhengdong. In an article by the Oregonian, former Oregon Ducks point guard Luke Ridnour, was reportedly impressed by Chen's quickness.
Chen first became well known in 2003, when a New York Times front page article was written about him. That article was then followed by a Boston Globe article, and an article on ESPN Magazine.
Chen played in the 2005 Reebok ABCD Camp, where fellow camper Will Harris said that he was "the best unknown prospect in the world".
_(cropped).jpg)
