In case you weren’t aware by now, there is such a thing as professional basketball in China, and it’s kind of a big deal.
Although the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has been around in some form since 1995, the league and sport of basketball in general experienced a surge of popularity in the country after former Houston Rockets All-Star and Shanghai native Yao Ming left the CBA to join the NBA in 2002.
Since then, the CBA has grown while serving a variety of purposes for NBA players. Former NBA All-Stars such as Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas have played in China after leaving their American teams. Hassan Whiteside, who has recently burst on to the NBA scene, has spent time CBA. Recently, Emmanuel Mudiay, a high school star and top recruit who decided against a one-and-done season with SMU prior to this season, decided to begin his professional career in the CBA as a way to pass time before meeting the minimum age requirement for the upcoming 2015 NBA draft.
Some players, such as former NBA shooting guard Von Wafer, have effectively utilized the CBA as a great setting for punching people in the groin and throwing chairs.
Below are three notable former NBA players who have each had very different paths to their time in the CBA.
Stephon Marbury – NBA Career statistics: 19.3 PPG, 7.6 APG, 3.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG – Perhaps the most well-known former NBA player currently in China, Marbury has become an absolute superstar during his time in the CBA. Marbury last played for an NBA team during the 2008-2009 season as a member of the Boston Celtics. The two-time NBA All-Star took a break to attend to some business matters after the season, and later opted to head overseas and become a member of the Shanxi Zhongyu Brave Dragons in January of 2010. Marbury has since gone on to win two CBA championships, and has made the All-Star team in each of his six seasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_9m1VmNnLo
He most recently averaged 16.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.1 rebounds in 32.3 minutes per game in the recently-completed 2014-2015 CBA season.
Since his arrival in China, Marbury has been embraced by the Chinese population for his outspoken love for their culture and his dedication to the league and the team he is playing for at the time. While some former NBA players have been known to show up in China expecting rock star treatment while not taking the league very seriously, Marbury has chosen to be an ambassador for the CBA, and has shown a sincere appreciation for the opportunity to have a second career, where he has completely recreated himself. China has responded in turn, giving him the keys to the city of Beijing, erecting statues of him, making him an honorary citizen, and even writing musicals based off of his life. Marbury, who served as an assistant coach for Beijing in the 2013 China National Games, apparently has the opportunity to coach the Chinese National Team when his playing days are finally over. I’d say he’s doing well over there.
Yi Jianlian – NBA Career statistics: 7.9 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 0.7 BPG – Originally dubbed as the second coming of Yao Ming, Jianlian, like Ming, began his career in the CBA, and eventually decided to enter the NBA draft in 2007, where he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the as the sixth overall pick. He initially refused to play in Milwaukee, citing a lack of a Chinese population when compared to larger cities. Jianlian also wanted to be assured of sufficient playing time so he could prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He would later sign with the team after Bucks owner Herb Kohl personally met with Jianlian in Hong Kong to assure him of playing time. Jianlian, after leaving Milwaukee in 2008, would go on to play for the Nets and Wizards up until the summer of 2010, when Washington elected to not extend his contract. He averaged career-highs of 12.0 points and 14.2 rebounds per game with the Nets during the 2009-2010 NBA season.
Yi Jianlian left the NBA for the first part of the 2011-2012 season to join the Guangdong Southern Tigers for their respective season. He returned as a member of the Dallas Mavericks for the remainder of the 2012 season, and remained on the roster through the playoffs. He would later leave to return to the Southern Tigers after failing to land a new contract with the Mavericks. Since coming back to the CBA, Jianlian has flourished, and most recently averaged 27.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game with the Southern Tigers. At this point in his career, it appears that he is in China for the remainder of his playing days, which could extend for nearly another decade, although I wouldn’t be surprised if he gave the NBA one more go.
Michael Beasley – NBA Career statistics: 13.2 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 1.3 APG – Beasley entered the NBA after a historic freshman college season at Kansas State when he averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. He was later drafted by the Miami Heat in 2008 with the 2nd overall pick. Beasley began his NBA career with a ton of promise, but due to both on and off-court issues, has never quite lived up to the high expectations for an extended period of time, although he did average 19.2 points and 5.6 rebounds per game as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2010-2011. Beasley dabbled with CBA play prior to the 2011-2012 season because of a lockout that delayed the start of the season. After a few more seasons with the Timberwolves and Phoenix Suns, Beasley returned to the Heat for the 2013-2014 campaign. He would later sign with the Memphis Grizzlies prior to this season, but later asked to be waived so that he could sign a more lucrative deal with the Shanghai Sharks, who are owned by Yao Ming.
Beasley had an incredibly productive season with the Sharks this year, averaging 28.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 55 percent from the field. He even set the CBA record for most points scored in an All-Star game when he came off the bench to finish with 59 in this year’s edition. Many execs around the NBA were impressed with his decision to head overseas at least for one season, and saw it as a humbling move that showed his maturity while attempting to get his life and career on track. Beasley is currently back in Miami and training for a possible return in the stretch run of this season, and has been in talks with several teams. Given the season he’s had in Shanghai, expect to see him sign with a contender before the playoffs begin.
