SPORTS> China
NBA veterans find culture clash in China league
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-02-25 10:55

Bayi, whose name means August 1 - the date of the foundation of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) - are unable to recruit overseas because their players are all officially soldiers.

Related readings:
 Guessing games go on in CBA
 Refs sweat buckets as CBA mops up
 Fenglu call it quits as CBA press charges
 Qingdao DoubleStar becomes 18th CBA team
Known for their rigorous, boot camp-style training and their never-say-die battling spirit, Bayi became the most popular team in the nation as they won the first six CBA titles.

This year, however, they have struggled against import-loaded squads and are 20-19 after an eight-loss streak last month.

Bayi remained a model for other teams, said Xu Jicheng, a top Chinese basketball commentator and former member of a junior army team.

"The 'Bayi spirit' is not just empty talk," Xu said.

The team, who produced China's first NBA player, Wang Zhizhi, had developed Chinese talent without recruiting foreign players before, and could do so again, Xu added.

"In this sense Bayi spirit is not outdated. It is a strong spirit that Chinese basketball can learn from in the future."

Bayi may not even make the playoffs this year and this month suffered their worst loss ever - by 49 points - to defending champions Guangdong Tigers, a team they defeated in the CBA finals two years ago.

Agencies

   Previous page 1 2 Next Page