Basketball and the Boys: Aiming for the CBA

Back then, Inoue Hiko asked, through Slam Dunk, when Japan’s men’s basketball team would take the world stage. At the time, China dominated Asia and barely took Japan seriously. Now Japan has achieved its Olympic dream, while we are no longer even a match for them. It makes you wonder: where is Chinese basketball headed? The future is too far away to predict. All we can do is take the road before us one step at a time. When the young are strong, China is strong. Developing youth basketball is the only way forward for Chinese basketball. But in an era of professional leagues and big-money basketball, what path should China’s young players choose for themselves?