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Chinese players in the NBA

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Yao Ming, most famous Chinese NBA player of all time

Although China is one of the most populous countries in the world, it has long struggled to achieve top results in team sports on the global stage. In basketball, unlike in football, China managed to establish itself as a dominant force in Asia for a certain period. However, at World Cups and Olympic Games, notable results were few and far between.

The situation hasn’t been much better when it comes to the number of Chinese players in the world’s strongest league, the NBA. So far, only seven players from China have appeared in the NBA — including one naturalized player.

WANG ZHIZHI

The first Chinese player in the NBA was Wang Zhizhi (sometimes translated as Wang Zhizhu), a 7’0″ (213 cm) giant born in Beijing on July 8, 1977, into a basketball family. Both of his parents played the sport, and he grew up watching NBA broadcasts in China, admiring Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley.

Wang signed his first professional contract with the Bayi Rockets, the army team, in 1994. When the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) was founded, he became one of the youngest players in the league, quickly turning into a starter and a key figure. From the 1995–96 season until his departure for the NBA after 2000–01, Wang and the Bayi Rockets, a team that traditionally played only with domestic players, won the first six CBA titles. Their dominance was eventually broken by Yao Ming and the Shanghai Sharks right after Wang’s departure to the NBA.

Breaking into the NBA from China at that time was no easy task. The Dallas Mavericks selected him in the 1999 NBA Draft with the 36th pick — even though he hadn’t officially declared for the draft. Donnie Nelson, then Mavericks assistant GM, had noticed him years earlier. After legal and bureaucratic struggles, Wang was finally allowed by the Bayi Rockets and Chinese officials to join the NBA in 2001, becoming the first Chinese player in league history.

He played five NBA seasons with the Mavericks, Clippers, and Heat. His best year came in his second season with Dallas, averaging 5.6 points and 2 rebounds over 55 games. After returning to the CBA in 2006, Wang immediately led Bayi to another title and was named Finals MVP.

MENGKE BATEER

Just a year after Wang, Mengke Bateer — a burly center from Inner Mongolia — became the second Chinese player in the NBA. His Mongolian name “Mönkhbaatar” translates to “eternal hero.”

At 6’11” (211 cm), Bateer was never drafted but earned opportunities through training camps, first with the Denver Nuggets and later with the San Antonio Spurs and Toronto Raptors. His best season came in Denver, averaging 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds across 27 games.

In 2002–03, he won an NBA championship ring with the Spurs, becoming the first Chinese player to do so. Returning to China, he excelled in the CBA and represented his country in three Olympic Games (1996, 2000, 2004) and the 2002 World Cup in Indianapolis.

YAO MING

The most famous Chinese player by far, Yao Ming — the third member of China’s “Walking Great Wall” alongside Wang and Bateer — entered the NBA as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 Draft, selected by the Houston Rockets.

At 7’6″ (229 cm), Yao dominated from the start. Over eight NBA seasons, all with Houston, he averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks. His best season was 2006–07, when he averaged 25 points and 9.4 rebounds. An 8-time All-Star, Yao was hugely popular with fans, often leading all players in All-Star voting.

He was twice named to the All-NBA Second Team and three times to the Third Team, and won Rookie of the Year honors in 2003. After injuries cut his career short, the Rockets retired his No. 11 jersey. Today, Yao remains a global sports icon — his image still widely shared in memes across social media.

YI JIANLIAN

Billed as “the next big thing in Chinese basketball” after Yao, the 7’0″ (213 cm) Yi Jianlian entered the NBA as the 6th overall pick in the 2007 Draft, chosen by the Milwaukee Bucks.

He played 66 games as a rookie, averaging 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds. Knee injuries, however, quickly became a problem, and Yi was traded to the New Jersey Nets, where he posted his best season in 2009–10 (12 points, 7.2 rebounds per game).

After stints with the Wizards and Mavericks, Yi returned to China, dominating with the Guangdong Southern Tigers and winning six CBA championships and three Finals MVP awards. In 2016, he briefly joined the Los Angeles Lakers but requested release after realizing he wouldn’t get meaningful playing time.

Though often overshadowed by Yao, Yi had a respectable career, serving as the long-time leader of the Chinese national team, reaching the 2008 Olympic quarterfinals and topping the rebounding charts at the 2010 FIBA World Cup.

SUN YUE

In the same 2007 Draft, another Chinese player was selected — Sun Yue, taken 40th overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. This marked the first time two Chinese players were drafted in the same year.

Sun played just one NBA season (2008–09), but it was memorable: he appeared in 10 games and won an NBA championship with the Lakers, becoming only the second Chinese player after Bateer to earn a ring. He also represented China at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

ZHOU QI

After Yi Jianlian’s NBA exit, Chinese basketball waited five years for another representative. That came in the form of 7’1″ (216 cm) center Zhou Qi.

The Houston Rockets — still hugely popular in China thanks to Yao Ming — drafted him 43rd overall in 2016. Zhou stayed one more season in the CBA before joining the Rockets in 2017–18. He appeared in 22 games across two seasons, averaging 1.3 points. Afterward, he returned to China and also briefly played in Australia’s NBL.

He remains a regular with the Chinese national team and represented his country at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.

CUI YONGXI

One of the brightest young talents in Chinese basketball, Cui Yongxi has already made a name for himself with his athleticism and versatility. Standing at 6’7’’ (201 cm), he plays primarily as a forward and is known for his explosive dunks, defensive energy, and ability to stretch the floor.

Born in 2003, Cui rose through the ranks of the Guangdong Southern Tigers, one of the most successful clubs in the CBA. His performances quickly caught international attention, and in 2024 he declared for the NBA Draft. Although he went undrafted, Cui continued to develop and in 2024 made his NBA debut with the Brooklyn Nets — a milestone that marked him as part of the new wave of Chinese players reaching the league.

He played only 5 games with the Nets in the 2024–25 season. After that, he returned to the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

LI KAIER (KYLE ANDERSON)

Ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the Chinese national team — coached by Serbian legend Aleksandar “Sasha” Đorđević — added a major reinforcement: Kyle Anderson, a naturalized forward known in China as Li Kaier.

Although he represented the United States at youth levels, Anderson qualified to play for China through his maternal grandmother, who was of Chinese descent from Jamaica. He visited China in 2018 to connect with relatives in Shenzhen.

Selected 30th overall in the 2014 Draft, Anderson has played for the Spurs, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, and Warriors. Over his NBA career, he has averaged around 7 points per game. Representing China at the 2023 World Cup, he averaged 13 points in five games, though the team finished a disappointing 29th.

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