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Jonathan White

Chinese Basketball Association chairman Yao Ming has spoken of his hopes for the sport in the country. 
On Friday, Yao attended the “Basketball + Health” forum in Yinchuan, Ningxia, where he spoke about the development of basketball in rural China.
“We hope that basketball games in rural areas can be as popular as mahjong sometimes,” he said, acknowledging the difficulties in organising the sport across the country.
“China is so big and needs everyone’s joint efforts,” he said at the forum, as reported by domestic media. 


Yao also met Wang Lei, a Ningxia youngster whose basketball skills have seen him gain popularity online.
The 12-year-old went viral three years ago when a video of him practising on a makeshift hoop in his mountain village was shared. The village, like many others in Ningxia, now has a full court.
NBA not only ones looking for next Yao Ming as other sports still hope to cash in on China
The former Houston Rocket praised the work of the local government and said that there was more talent to be found in rural China.
“We should develop more talents, let sports bring them a sunny lifestyle, and discover their talents on courts including but not limited to basketball,” he said.
Yao did not speak about the Chinese Basketball Association’s deal with Nike which has been under increased scrutiny as the US sportswear manufacturer has experienced a backlash in China over its stance on Xinjiang cotton.



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Yao Ming hopes basketball ‘can be as big as mahjong’ in rural China

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Houston Rockets' Yao Ming of China reacts during an NBA game in Los Angeles in this February 14, 2006 file photograph. China's NBA all-star Yao Ming has sued a Chinese sportswear maker over alleged name and image infringements, local media reported on May 13, 2011. The towering Houston Rockets centre has filed a lawsuit against the company for using the label "Yao Ming Era" on its shoes without his consent, Yao's management said. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/Files (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

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Houston Rockets star Yao Ming making his presence felt during an NBA game in 2006. Photo: Reuters

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FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2013, file photo, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, top row center right, former NBA Houston Rockets basketball player Yao Ming, top row center left, and NBA Commissioner David Stern, bottom left pose with children during the NBA Cares Special Olympics Basketball Clinic ahead of a 2013-2014 NBA preseason game against the Golden State Warriors in Shanghai, China. Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tried Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 to defuse the rapidly growing fallout over his deleted tweet that showed support for Hong Kong anti-government protesters, saying he did not intend to offend any of the team's Chinese fans or sponsors. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, FIle)

Chinese center Yao Ming talks to the media during a court-side interview at the Rockets practice facility in Houston October 21, 2002 in Houston. Ming, who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Chinese National Team, was the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft and the first-ever international first round pick in NBA history. REUTERS/Richard Carson

Retired Houston Rockets center Yao Ming speaks during his jersey number retirement ceremony at halftime of an NBA basketball game between the Rockets and the Chicago Bulls, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Retired Houston Rockets center Yao Ming speaks to the media before an NBA basketball game between the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, in Houston. Ming's jersey number will be retired during a halftime ceremony Friday night. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

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Chinese Basketball Association chairman Yao Ming (right) and star player Yi Jianlian after China’s 2019 Fiba World Cup loss to Nigeria. Photo: Xinhua

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China’s women’s national team kit for the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup, as modelled by star player Wang Shuang. Photo: Nike

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Sport

China


Chinese Basketball Association chairman expresses his hope at Ningxia forum but makes no comment on sponsor Nike 
Former Houston Rockets star meets ‘basketball boy’ Wang Lei, says there are talents to be found in the country



Chinese Basketball Association chairman expresses his hope at Ningxia forum but makes no comment on sponsor Nike.
