China's Basketball in 2018: making the ordinary extraordinary

In February, 2017, Yao Ming became the first ever CBA president not to have held political office. The dual national teams system came into being as part of a new CBA reform that has proven productive after its "mid-term exam" at the Asian Games. Two teams gives twice the opportunity for young players to show their talents on the world stage, even though some of them would not have dared to imagine themselves wearing the national team jersey before. But one year later, Chinese supporters have been thrilled by the energy from Abudushalamu's rebounds, the three-pointers of Wu Qian, or Zhou Qi's iconic slamdunk over Iranian center Hamed Haddadi in the Asian Games final.

"The reform brought young players more opportunities and allowed us to see their potential. In those key matches of high intensity and pressure, their performances far exceeded our expectations." said Li Nan, coach of both Team Red and the soon-to-be combined team which will compete at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The women's 5x5 team emerged victorious in both the Asian Games and the Women's World Cup, defeating arch enemy Japan twice. With an average age of 24, they demonstrated vitality, courage and determination, while at the same time gaining experience and confidence. According to their head coach Xu Limin, "if the full score is 100, 120 points should be given to the girls."

The other two gold medals came from men's and women's 3x3 competitions, new to both the Asian Games and the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

After Yao took in charge, the CBA league began to operate independently, starting a five-year plan of reform. In the 24th CBA season, the number of rounds in the regular season has increased from 38 to 46, which means there are 460 games in total. "Watching CBA every night" has become a life habit for many fans, and the increased exposure means the league's brand value, and that of the sponsors, has been magnified.