The China men's national basketball team (nickname Team Dragon) represents the People's Republic of China in international basketball tournaments. The national team is governed by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).[2] Based on the number of tournament titles, China is considered a major basketball powerhouse in Asia and has by far the most successful basketball program on the continent.
History
China has traditionally been the basketball powerhouse in Asia and won the FIBA Asia Cup 14 out of 16 times between 1975 and 2005. At the 1984 Summer Olympics basketball tournament, the Chinese made their debut, starting a streak of nine qualifications in a row.
At the 2000 Olympics, Li Nan had a noteworthy performance as he scored 25 points on 6 three-pointers in a win against Italy.[3]
The Chinese failed to defend its championship at the 2007 FIBA Asia Cup. This was due to the automatic berth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the host nation, thus, China sent its "U23"Team to the 2007 tournament and finished 10th[4] while its primary "A" team participated at the 2007 Stanković Cup which took place around the same time as the 2007FIBA Asia Cup.
The team often struggled against top flight non-Asian competitors. However, in some cases, China refuted their critics and beat some the top European teams. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, China, coached by Del Harris, advanced to the final eight[5] after a 67–66 win over defending world champion Serbia and Montenegro.
At the 2006 FIBA World Cup, China, coached by LithuanianJonas Kazlauskas also advanced to the second round from Group D, earning two victories against Senegal and Slovenia in five group play matches before falling in the round of sixteen to the eventual silver medalists Greece, 95–64; the team's overall placing by the end of the tournament from amongst the twenty-four competing sides was fifteenth.[6]
In 2008, some questions surrounded whether the recently injured Yao Ming would still captain the squad. In mid-July, it was confirmed that he would still continue to be the captain.[7]
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Yao ended up as the third leading scorer of the competition with 20.7 points per game while also leading in rebounds with 9.3 per game. The game where Yao really made his mark was against New Zealand where he scored a tournament-high 39 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds, second most in a single game that year.[3]
In the following years, the Chinese faced major struggles with injuries. In 2008, a then NBA prospect Xu Yong was forced to end his career at the age of 19 after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma.[8] In December 2010, Yao was diagnosed with a stress fracture on his left ankle – the injury was related to the ankle sprain that he suffered earlier that year. Speculations arose whether China's basketball icon would ever be able to play again.[9]
When Yao's retirement was finally announced in July 2011[10] it was considered a big blow to the national team, whose success had largely depended on him for many years. Yet, critics were optimistic that China would continue to improve on its international performances.[11] In 2016, a new era of Chinese stars would begin to form, as NBA draftees in Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin would gain considerable amounts of attention for their successes in China.[12][13]
At the 2012 Olympics, it was Yi Jianlian who stepped up by averaging 14.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, highlighted by a 30-point, 12-rebound game against Spain to start the tournament.[3]
In 2018, the team was invited to play at the 2018 NBA Summer League.[14] They played a total of 5 games and won 1.
Shen Yi-Tung, Tsai Yen-Hung, Wang Hung-Pin, Wang Shi-Hsuan, Wang Yu-Tseng, Wong Nan-Chen, Liu Bao-Cheng, Liu Yun-Chang, Mou Tso-Yun, Li Shao-Tang, Yu Sai-Chang
Wang Zongxing, Chen Kai, Kuang Lubin, Xing Weining, Wang Deli, Huang Pinjie, Mu Tiezhu, Ji Zhaoguang, Zhang Weiping, Liu Jizeng, Zhang Mingwei, He Juhua (Coach: Qian Chenghai)
Wang Zongxing, Ji Zhaoguang, Xu Xiaoliang, Kuang Lubin, Sun Fengwu, Wang Libin, Huang Yunlong, Feng Wei, Li Qiuping, Li Yaguang, Han Pengshan, Lu Jinqing (Coach: Qian Chenghai)
Kuang Lubin, Ji Zhaoguang, Wang Libin, Liu Jianli, Hu Zhangbao, Lu Jinqing, Sun Fengwu, Zhang Bin, Huang Yunlong, Guo Yonglin, Wang Haibo, Li Yaguang (Coach: Qian Chenghai)
Wang Libin, Zhang Yongjun, Li Yaguang, Wang Fei, Huang Yunlong, Xu Xiaoliang, Zhang Bin, Li Feng, Sun Fengwu, Sha Guoli, Song Tao, Gong Luming (Coach: Qian Chenghai)
Li Yaguang, Wang Fei, Wang Libin, Zhang Yongjun, Xu Xiaoliang, Zhang Bin, Huang Yunlong, Sun Fengwu, Zhang Xuelei, Chen Chijef, Song Ligang, Gong Luming, Sha Guoli (Coach: Qian Chenghai)
Li Chunjiang, Wang Fei, Sun Fengwu, Zhang Yongjun, Zhang Bin, Shan Tao, Song Ligang, Ma Jian, Gong Xiaobin, Zhang Degui, Wang Zhidan, Gong Luming (Coach: Wang Zhangyou)
Hu Weidong, Li Chunjiang, Zhang Yongjun, Sun Fengwu, Ma Jian, Shan Tao, Wang Zhidan, Wu Qinglong, Gong Xiaobin, Sun Jun, Song Ligang, Adiljan (Coach: Jiang Xingquan)
Hu Weidong, Sun Jun, Shan Tao, Gong Xiaobin, Liu Yudong, Zhang Jinsong, Liu Daqing, Adiljan, Zheng Wu, Ji Minshang, Wu Naiqun, Wu Qinglong (Coach: Jiang Xingquan)
Mengke Bateer, Wang Zhizhi, Hu Weidong, Liu Yudong, Li Nan, Shan Tao, Sun Jun, Gong Xiaobin, Wu Qinglong, Li Xiaoyong, Zheng Wu, Wu Naiqun (Coach: Gong Luming)
Yao Ming, Mengke Bateer, Wang Zhizhi, Hu Weidong, Sun Jun, Li Nan, Guo Shiqiang, Liu Yudong, Zheng Wu, Zhang Jinsong, Li Qun, Li Xiaoyong (Coach: Jiang Xingquan)
Yao Ming, Mengke Bateer, Liu Wei, Li Nan, Hu Weidong, Guo Shiqiang, Zhang Cheng, Chen Ke, Gong Xiaobin, Liu Yudong, Du Feng, Zhu Fangyu (Coach: Wang Fei)
Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Liu Wei, Mengke Bateer, Li Nan, Guo Shiqiang, Du Feng, Chen Ke, Zhang Yunsong, Zhu Fangyu, Zhang Jinsong, Mo Ke (Coach: Del Harris)
Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian, Liu Wei, Du Feng, Wang Shipeng, Mo Ke, Zhang Songtao, Chen Jianghua, Zhang Qingpeng, Zhu Fangyu, Sun Yue (Coach: Jonas Kazlauskas)
Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian, Liu Wei, Du Feng, Wang Shipeng, Wang Lei, Li Nan, Chen Jianghua, Zhang Qingpeng, Zhu Fangyu, Sun Yue (Coach: Jonas Kazlauskas)
^"Reports: Rockets' Yao retiring after 9 seasons". 8 July 2011. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011. Reports: Rockets' Yao Ming will retire, ESPN, written 8 July 2011. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
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