Veteran hails China's gala

Beijing - Wang Zhizhi, the first Chinese hoopster playing in the NBA, said the gap between the country's own All-Star Weekend and the NBA's festival is narrowing.

Wang, the Dallas Mavericks' second-round pick in the 1999 NBA draft, landed in the United States two years later and attended the 2002 NBA All-Star Weekend in Philadelphia as a spectator.

The experience of taking part in the fans' jam session activities during the weekend in the US impressed Wang. He told China Daily the CBA's all-star event is catching up to the NBA's standard, but still needs some time.