Once reviled for turning his back on China, former NBA center
Wang Zhizhi is dominating the domestic league with a run of play
that bodes well for Chinese Olympic hopes and his own return to the
NBA.
Wang scored 43 points and ripped down 14 rebounds to power his
first-place Bayi Rockets to the team's 18th consecutive victory on
Sunday.
The 101-97 win over third-place Jiangsu Nangang moved the club
into a first-place tie with three-time league champion Guangdong
Tigers.
Since returning home last year from a four-year stint in the US,
Wang, dubbed "Big Zhi" by Chinese media, has become a pivotal
player in China's drive for a medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics -
a goal that, if fulfilled, could get him another shot at the
NBA.
At the 2006 World Basketball Championships in Japan, Wang teamed
with Houston Rockets All-Star Yao Ming to help China advance to the
second round. Without Yao, he led the team to gold in Doha Asian
Games.
"Wang is so talented you cannot believe it," national team coach
Jonas Kazlauskas said after the Asian Games.
"In my coaching career there have been just a couple of players
with bigger talent than him."
By dominating the domestic league and helping China to better
results in international competition, Wang could soon be in
position for a return to the world's top league, where he played
for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and current NBA
champions Miami Heat.
"It's in his hands. If he wants to, he can make it," Kazlauskas
said.
Before departing to the NBA in 2001 - and being kicked off
China's national team for refusing to return to national duty -
Wang had helped Bayi, an army-run team which plays in Ningbo, to
six consecutive CBA championships.
His departure opened the way for Yao Ming and the Shanghai
Sharks to become the first team to dethrone the army team as league
champions.
Now back in the CBA, the 29-year-old Wang is striving to help
Bayi regain their former dominance. He is averaging 27.6 points and
9.4 rebounds this season, both career highs.
"I agree with Jonas's view," Bayi coach Adi Jiang said about
Wang's NBA prospects.
"I hope Wang Zhizhi can continue to raise his level and help our
team more.
"Since he came back, every game he has played he has helped us a
lot. More important he came back and quickly meshed with the
team."
Wang is now on a collision course to meet up in the CBA finals
with reiging champions Guangdong, who boast five national team
players including 19-year old center Yi Jianlian - likely to be a
high pick in the June NBA draft.
The two teams each boast 21 wins with just four losses and have
split two games between them this season.
Although the two centers were evenly matched in those two games,
Wang has easily taken the lion's share of headlines in China's
basketball-crazy sports press, while coaches and players
universally praise his play.
"Wang Zhizhi brings a lot of positives, he has become a focus of
the fans, he has contributed a lot to the league and to the
national team, especially at the Asian Games," Beijing Ducks coach
Min Lulei said after a 112-89 loss to Bayi on Friday.
"I think that Wang Zhizhi's returning to China was a very wise
choice for him and for the national team. It is all very positive
... except that we can't figure out how to stop him."
(China Daily January 24, 2007)