CBA eyes season of redemption

Bearing the slogan "Dare to Dream and Dare to Play", the Chinese Basketball Association league returns next week determined to restore the game's tarnished profile following the national team's World Cup debacle.

By redoubling efforts to hone domestic talent and improve the overall fan experience in everything from scheduling to officiating, the CBA hopes to entice the public back on side after host Team China's embarrassing early exit from last month's FIBA showcase.

"The national team's disappointing World Cup campaign hit us with a tough reality that our league should take major responsibility for the lack of talent supply to the national program," Yao Ming, the CBA chairman and league company president, said at a season-launching ceremony in Beijing on Wednesday.