CBA (Chinese Basketball Association)

A popular Chinese comedy show said on Sunday that it would suspend a highly anticipated episode roasting two famous Chinese basketball players after viewers criticized it for being uncomfortably harsh.  The decision from Tencent’s Roast! also highlights the push and pull between China’s state-led sports system and private industry.   On March 14, the show aired the first half of a series roasting Chinese National Team basketball players Guo Ailun and Zhou Qi. The two players were part of a team that faced intense domestic criticism after their lackluster performance at the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, one of the most important international tournaments in the sport. China flamed out in th

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Inkstone Index features one important number about China to give you insight into the rising power. 625 million: The number of basketball fans in China. It is no secret that China loves basketball. But just how big of a deal the sport is in the country? 625 million people call themselves fans of the sport, according to a 2018 industry report by China’s tech giant Tencent. Of that number, 143 million people in China, or slightly less than the entire population of Russia, consider themselves to be “hardcore” fans, meaning they regularly watch and play basketball.  The rest of the fans, about 482 million, are considered general fans, who enjoy basketball but play it

As Jeremy Lin tears up the Chinese Basketball Association this season for the Beijing Ducks, he’s returned to form in many ways. One of the most notable – aesthetically speaking – is his haircut. With shaved sides and a short, straight top, his Beijing styling looks somewhat similar to his hair during the “Linsanity” craze, when the Taiwanese-American first shot to fame in the NBA in 2011. Lin has long been a style icon off the court, setting trends with his fashion sense and his eclectic, sometimes controversial, hairstyles.  Here we’ve collected a definitive list of his most memorable hairdos, in chronological order. Palo Alto: The So Cal Beginnings         View this post on Insta

Basketball star Jeremy Lin is relishing the chance to lead a team in China, now that he is joining the Beijing Ducks. Coming off of an NBA championship season with the Toronto Raptors, he is playing this season in the Chinese Basketball Association. It’s the first time he is playing basketball professionally in China, where he will reportedly earn $3 million for one year of playing in the Chinese league.

In 1996, Ma Ge watched his first live NBA game in Houston.  “It was awe-inspiring,” said Ma, 64, a retired policeman originally from China’s eastern city of Hangzhou.  “I remember feeling so small but so moved at this huge stadium,” Ma told Inkstone. “It was pure enjoyment and entertainment.”  On Wednesday night, Ma, a life-long basketball player and fan, came to a spacious, brightly-lit basketball court built by Nike near his Beijing home to watch the Chinese national basketball team.  China was hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time.  Last night, China played against Venezuela in a key game that would determine if the host nation would be able to advance to the second ro

Ever since Jeremy Lin became a global sensation known as “Linsanity” in 2012, basketball fans in China have enthusiastically tracked this trailblazing Asian-American sports star’s every move.  Now, their dreams of having their idol play in their national league have come true. The former NBA champion announced on Tuesday that he had signed with the Beijing Ducks, a three-time championship team in the Chinese Basketball Association, or the CBA, China’s top league.  Lin thanked his NBA fans on Instagram and Twitter. Thanks to the NBA and everyone who's supported me the last 9 years! Will always cherish being able to rep Asians at the NBA level. Excited for the next step with the Beijing Ducks.

Jeremy Lin, currently an unrestricted free agent, says he’s considering playing in the Chinese Basketball Association. “Of course I am thinking about the CBA,” Lin told reporters in the Chinese megacity of Guangzhou on Friday. “I don’t know where I will be next year, so I don’t have expectations. I know what level I can play at, so if I don’t get that I won’t settle.” Lin, who left the Toronto Raptors this summer after winning the NBA championship with them, was speaking at a press conference to launch his role as a brand ambassador for Chinese sportswear brand Xtep.  He will be the pitchman fronting four models of basketball shoes featuring “Linsanity” stitching, which will be available in

Jeremy Lin is the first Asian-American winner of the NBA. But he’s not the first player of Chinese heritage to do so. Sun Yue wasn’t the first either. That honor belongs to Mengke Bateer of the San Antonio Spurs, who rode the bench all the way to his ring in 2003. But this is the winding, bizarre story of how Sun, the “Chinese Magic Johnson,” won a ring in 2009 with Kobe Bryant’s Los Angeles Lakers without playing a minute. His tale starts in 2007, when Sun entered the draft – something that almost didn’t happen, according to his former agent Keith Glass. His club, Beijing Aoshen, insisted that the 6 foot 9 inch point guard had to be picked in the first round, or not at all. In his book Sev