page_title: Basketball in China
section_title: Notable People
hierarchical_section_title: Basketball in China / Notable People
caption_attribution_description: Yao Ming
context_page_description: Basketball is the most popular sport in China. Popularity of basketball in China has been supported by the Chinese Basketball Association which hosts professional play in China. In international competition, the Chinese men's national team has won 16 titles of the FIBA Asia Cup between 1975 and 2005 and is the dominant force in Asian basketball. Six Chinese nationals have played in National Basketball Association. The most famous Chinese basketball player is Yao Ming who became the first player to score an average of 20+10 in his freshmen season, an elected member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Chief Executive of The Chinese Basketball Association.
  In October 2019, tensions grew between China's basketball market and the National Basketball Association. Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, made a pro-Hong Kong re-tweet on Twitter referencing the Hong Kong-Mainland China conflict. Several Chinese sports broadcasters, including state-run China Central Television, announced the cancellation of N.B.A. broadcasts involving the Rockets.
context_section_description: Wang Zhizi — a retired player professional basketball player who is currently the head coach of the Bayi Rockets. He was China's first player to compete in the NBA.
  Mengke Bateer — a retired player who played parts of three seasons in the NBA and majority of his career competing in the Chinese Basketball Association.
  Yao Ming — basketball executive and retired professional basketball player who played in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the only player from outside of the United States to lead the NBA in All-Star votes.
caption: Yao Ming, widely considered to be the greatest Chinese basketball player in history.
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