Looking back at one of China's finest at the Asia Cup, Wang Zhizhi

BEIJING (China) – One of the main reasons that the Chinese national team leads all nations in FIBA Asia Cup titles is that they continue to churn out the best big men in the region, generation after generation. Zhou Qi appears to be the next in line, but there were many other before him. Among one of the premier big men that blazed the trail was Wang Zhizhi, one-thirds of the trio dubber the “Walking Great Wall” that also included Yao Ming and Mengke Bateer.

Here’s a look back at the storied career of Wang in the FIBA Asia Cup!

The prodigal big man first made his Asia Cup debut in 1997, back when he was only 18 years old. The tournament did not end as well as Wang would have hoped, when China suffered a loss in the semifinals to Korea before ending up at 3^rd place. It would be the first time in over 10 years that China didn't win the Asia Cup gold.

Wang would then get his first title in 1999, exacting his vengeance on Korea in 63-45 championship game win. It was only a few years before the 2.15M (7’1”) center would embark on his journey in the NBA as the first Chinese player ever to play in the NBA. Even after playing in his first season with the Dallas Mavericks, Wang returned to play for China once again at the 2001 Asia Cup. He led the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game as China cruised to another title. It was the only time in the Asia Cup that Wang played alongside Yao.

It would not be until 2009 before Wang would play in the Asia Cup again. He unleashed a strong 4-game run to finish the tournament recording no less than 20 points and 8 rebounds in each game, but China were dealt a loss in the championship game to Iran. Yi Jianlian had starred in the early stages of the 2009 Asia Cup, but it was Wang who picked up the slack in the later stages and finished with averages of 16.7 points and 7.6 boards per game.

The Beijing native returned for another run at the 2011 Asia Cup and even though his productive took a dip, Wang helped China to claim their 15^th Asia Cup win. He didn’t reach the 20-point mark in a single game during this tournament, but his sturdy production of 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game was enough to get China all the way through.

At 34 years of age, Wang Zhizhi made his last appearance in the FIBA Asia Cup. Wang proceeded to churn out similar production with 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 58.7 percent from the floor, but the tournament didn’t go as planned for the team. A come-from-behind upset by Chinese-Taipei in the quarterfinals left China out of the top 4 teams for only the 2^nd time ever at that time. In the game following the devastating loss, Wang exploded for one of his best games ever in the Asia Cup with 33 points on 12-13 shooting in a narrow win over Jordan.

Wang later retired from national team play in 2016, leaving the game as one of the best ever to play for China. Over 6 FIBA Asia Cup appearances that spanned nearly 2 decades, he won 3 golds, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal for his country. Wang has already pioneered a career in coaching with his former CBA club, Bayi Rockets. Could it be possible for him to move his way up and one day lead China to another FIBA Asia Cup title - this time as a head coach?

FIBA