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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

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Yao Ming told state media it would take a big effort to upgrade the current system. Photo: Xinhua

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.

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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.

Why ‘village basketball’ is upstaging professional leagues in China

“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?”

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Speaking to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on Saturday, Yao also said that he believed his country needed to upgrade its youth coaching resources.

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