Yao Ming says China needs better basketball system and coaches to unearth country’s young talent
- Former NBA star says China has plenty of young players but needs higher-quality coaching for every age group
- ‘Let’s say a child is playing in the village basketball league, can we discover him … through our competition system?’ Yao says
Basketball icon Yao Ming has said China needs better coaches and a more developed competition structure, as the country endures a torrid time on the international scene.
Former NBA star Yao, president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), said he believed there was no shortage of talent in a nation where basketball is the favourite sport among young people.
But he argued more needed to be done to unearth prospects who could be put on a pathway to the national team.
“I think we’re not bad at the basics, but we do lack a competition system,” the former Houston Rockets player said.
“Let’s say a child is playing in the village basketball league, can we discover him, find him, or at least know about him through our competition system?”
Speaking to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday, Yao also said that he believed his country needed to upgrade its youth coaching resources.