After being held back last year by Chinese officials, Jiangsu centre Tang Zhengdong arrived yesterday in Los Angeles for a try-out with the Lakers and now finally looks likely to join the NBA.
The 2.14-metre star stoked a lot of NBA interest last year but the Chinese Basketball Association told him he was too young to travel. He will turn 22 this year and officials indicated recently they were now willing to consider letting him move to the US, paving the way for the four-day workout with the Lakers at a time when clubs are eying up potential draft picks.
Before he boarded the Air China flight for LA, the two-time Chinese MVP said that he was looking forward to the opportunity to show the scouts what he can do.
'I am very calm. I am not thinking too much about it. I'm just focusing on putting in a good performance and showing off my skill,' he said.
His agent Xia Song said the Suzhou native was certainly ready for the big league. 'He's had a very good season with his club. He has the size, he has the skill and he's smart. He can certainly make it,' he said.
The NBA would help to develop him as a player, he said. 'He needs to be more explosive, stronger. The NBA training can help him on this. In China the strength training has been a problem for a long time.'
