Academies not 'fairy dust' needed to find the next Yao Ming in China, says NBA's Silver

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said unearthing the next Yao Ming should not be left to chance as the wildly popular US basketball league pushes efforts to develop Chinese stars.

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Retired NBA superstar Yao Ming meets secondary school students and teachers at the Southorn Stadium, Wan Chai, in July. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 11:45pm, 14 Oct 2015Updated: 11:49pm, 14 Oct 2015

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said unearthing the next Yao Ming should not be left to chance as the wildly popular US basketball league pushes efforts to develop Chinese stars.

The Houston Rockets giant set off an NBA boom in China which still reverberates, demonstrating the enormous value of home-grown players.

As Chinese-American Jeremy Lin was mobbed in China during preseason appearances for the Charlotte Hornets, Silver said the NBA was deeply involved with nurturing Chinese players.

Retired NBA star Yao Ming teaches the sport to students at Yongshou Hope Elementary School in Sichuan province. Photo: Xinhua

"It doesn't have to be left to fairy dust," Silver said in Shanghai. "It's going to come from organised, structured programmes like the ones players in the NBA are exposed to from a very young age."

The NBA, which commands huge television and mobile audiences in China and has an office in Beijing, has forged close links with Chinese authorities and especially the China Basketball Association (CBA).

Last weekend, the NBA announced a six-year extension with the CBA training centre in Dongguan, which is dedicated to developing elite players aged 12 to 17.