Ding Yanyuhang (simplified Chinese: 丁彦雨航; traditional Chinese: 丁彥雨航; pinyin: Dīng Yànyǔháng[tíŋ jɛ̂n ỳ xǎŋ]; born August 20, 1993) is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He is considered to be one of the greatest Chinese basketball players and scorers of his generation, and was set to join the NBA after a successful showing with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2017 NBA Summer League at the age of 23. However, repeated knee injuries sidelined him from play after stellar CBA seasons in 2016-17 and 2017-18, where he won back-to-back CBA MVPs. This included a magnificent run in the 2018 CBA playoffs, where he scored an average of 29.8 PPG. Through June 2018 to October 2021, Ding was recovering from a string of foot and knee injuries and was out for over 1200 days without professional basketball.
Early experience
Ding Yanyuhang's surname is Ding, "Yan" is taken from his mother "Liu Yan" (first name's homonym), "Yuhang" is because he was born in a rainy day, parents sent to sail the implied meaning. In 1993, he was born in Wulhe town, Karamay city, where the production and construction corps 137 regiment was located. Later, he went to Ürümqi, the capital, with his parents. His father Ding Feng was a professional basketball player of Lanzhou military district basketball team, and his mother was also an athlete. Ding Yanyuhang inherited his parents' sports talent.[1]
Ding Yanyuhang has been following Xinjiang university women's basketball coach Yubin since the first grade to do basic skills training such as dribbling, layup and jumper, laying down solid basic skills for the future. In 2006, Ding's father left Ürümqi to teach at Wang Fei's basketball school in Beijing. Ding Yanyuhang, when he was 13, started to learn from the former defender Li Lin from Bayi Rockets, and began regular basketball training; two years later, Ding Yanyuhang is one of the best players in Wang Fei's basketball school,[2] in the training camp's skills competition, he won "dribble speed", "footsteps skills", "king one-on-one hit" three champions of the project, and in training camp all-star squad. On July 8, 2008, Ding participated the camp held by Li Ning. The school first recommended him to the Bayi youth team, but the Bayi Rockets' youth team did not want him. He joined the Shandong Heroes youth team in 2008, and was selected to the national youth team in 2009. In 2010, he won the scoring champion of the national youth league, and ranked second in the youth league in 2011.[3] On November 3, 2013, Ding Yanyuhang won the title of best student during the 10th anniversary of Wang Fei basketball training camp.[4]
Professional career
Asia
Touted as one of the CBA's best young stars, Ding scored 18.9 PPG at the young age of 20 in the 2013-14 CBA season, but started to suffer from injuries soon after. In the summer 2015 he suffered from a left knee fracture that limited his minutes in the 2015–16 season. However, once he returned healthy, Ding was named the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 2017.[5] He was also named the CBA's regular season Domestic Most Valuable Player in 2017 and 2018.[6] Due to his ongoing injuries and severe degenerative knees, Ding did not play for China in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and was out until October 2021.
NBA
In 2017, Ding played with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2017 NBA Summer League in Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas, Nevada. On July 23, 2018, Ding signed a contract with the Mavericks.[7] He was waived on October 10, 2018, due to an ongoing knee injury. The Mavericks originally planned to have him play 8–12 minutes per game.[8] Ding was then added to the roster of the Texas Legends, but was still inactive due to injury.[9]
Return to China
On October 16, 2021, Ding returned to Shandong for the first time in more than 3 years, and scored 19 points against the Beijing Royal Fighters in 24 minutes of play. He later scored 9 3-pointers and 34 points in a 102–90 win against the Nanjing Monkey Kings on October 24.
On June 25, 2013, Ding Yanyuhang finally made his debut in the Chinese men's basketball team. Facing Ukraine in an exhibition, Ding scored 7 points in the first half to lead the team to a 112–88 victory. However, he was ultimately excluded from the 12-man list of the Asian basketball championships.[11]
On February 26, 2014, the Chinese basketball association has announced the 2014 first batch of men's basketball training list. Four basketball players from Shandong Heroes, Ding Yanyuhang, Sui Ran, Li Jingyu, Tao Hanlin, were in the list.[12]
In the 2014 Incheon Asian games, Ding Yanyuhang scored 10 or more points in four of the five games.[13] However, China lost to Iran in a stunning upset during the quarterfinals and did not medal in men's basketball for the first time ever at the Asian Games.
On August 6, 2018, Ding Yanyuhang was selected to the list of Chinese sports delegation for the 18th Asian games.[citation needed] Despite playing with clear knee injuries, Ding helped Chinese men's basketball team win the Asian games title for the eighth time with an 84–72 victory over Iran in the 2018 Asian games final in Jakarta on Sept. 1, 2018.[14]
Due to his ongoing injuries and severe degenerative knees, Ding did not play for China in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and as of December 2019 he has not played in a professional game since the summer of 2018.
Awards
Personal honor
▪ Ranked fourth in 2017 Chinese athletes' communication influence list (award)[17]
