Chinese ‘skyscrapers’ Part I

May 29, 2010 | Posted by Benjie

There are already a number of Chinese basketball players that invaded the elite professional ranks in other countries or have made name for themselves internationally. So far, among the Chinese who made it to the NBA, only Sun Yue is listed below seven feet. From Wang Zhizhi to Bateer Menk, Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian, all of them stand above most of everybody in the league. They may be nearing the end of their careers but China has so much more to offer. I’d like to feature young and tall Chinese players who tower at least 7 feet and may don their national colors in the senior’s division in the near future.

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Sun Zhe stands 7-foot-3 and played for the Dongguan Leopards in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) last season. The 20-year old behemoth underwent training in Australia back in 2007 under the guidance of the legendary Brian Goorjian that dramatically improved his fundamentals. Sun is renowned for his speed, coordination and ballhandling skills. Besides, what makes him more dangerous especially on the defensive end is his long wingspan measuring 7-foot-7. Scouts have coined him to be the ‘next Yao Ming’ but has yet to prove it in the international arena especially that his toughness is a big question.

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Photo Courtesy: Azstarnet.com

Zhang Zhaoxu is an incoming junior at the University of California in Berkeley. Like Sun, he is 7-foot-3. More popularly known as ‘Max Zhang’, his stint as a Golden Bear the past two seasons were not as impressive as in his international career. Playing limited minutes for the NCAA Division I school, Zhang normed 3.1 points, 2.4 rebounds ,1.4 blocks per game. This is a sharp contrast while playing for China in the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia where he recorded outstanding figures. Zhang averaged 18 points, 17.3 rebounds and 5.6 blocks in the tournament that impressed a lot of scouts. Moreover, he is mobile and athletic for his size. Born on November 18, 1987, Zhang is a native of Yantai, China.

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Xu Zhonghao was Wang Zhizhi’s teammate at Bayi Rockets in the CBA last season. Xu averaged 9.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks an outing. The 7-footer showed a lot of promise for the Rockets but his team was swept by the eventual champion Guangdong Southern Tigers in quarterfinals. At present, he is part of the national pool but lack of speed and athleticism may cost him from making it to the final roster.