Chinese-Canadian star Ben Li on leaving his NCAA basketball dream behind for the Shanghai Sharks and meeting Yao Ming

The 20-year-old says he ‘couldn’t turn my back against’ CBA opportunity despite US college game being a childhood goal

‘My dad supported my basketball dreams 100 per cent, which is very rare to come by with Asian parents,’ says Li

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Chinese-Canadian basketball player Ben Li (left) with NBA and CBA legend Yao Ming (right) at a league opening ceremony event in Shanghai. Photo: Handout

Published: 8:15am, 6 Jan 2022Updated: 7:34pm, 6 Jan 2022

Canadian-born Chinese basketball prospect Ben Li did the unthinkable last summer, leaving an NCAA Division I team in favour of a move to Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) giants Shanghai Sharks.

But the 20-year-old, whose Chinese name is Li Hongquan, said he made the decision for two reasons – to repay his parents for their support, and avoid the unpredictability of the CBA Draft.

“It was a pretty wild ride, to be honest,” Li said, reflecting on leaving after his freshman season with the Lehigh University Mountain Hawks in Pennsylvania, where he was called the “Chinese Zion Williamson”.

“I went to college thinking I was going to do four years because playing NCAA was always a big goal of mine. But after the season, I had an opportunity that we simply couldn’t turn my back against. It was a no-brainer to us.

“One of my all-time goals was to retire my parents because they sacrificed so much for me. My dad supported my basketball dreams 100 per cent, which is very rare to come by with Asian parents, so I’m very grateful. He literally quit his job to bring me to practice and rebound for me.