A victory for grassroots game

Just like the double five-aside gold, China's surprise clean sweep of the 3x3 basketball competitions at the Asian Games owed much to Yao Ming.

A new event at the Asiad, the women's 3x3 team was comprised entirely of players from the domestic professional WCBA league, however the men's roster featured three amateurs - a university lecturer, a student and an office worker.

Their journey from the grassroots game to national heroes began with Chinese Basketball Association chairman Yao's innovative selection system: a national 3x3 tournament open to both amateurs and pros.