Yao Ming says China needs better basketball system and coaches to unearth country’s young talent

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?”