<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">China's basketball system is becoming more sophisticated. With modern professional basketball dating to 1989, the country now has a system in which players become junior pros as early as 13, spending part of their day in school and part working on basketball. "Basketball is very big in China," said Zhou Peng, a 6-10, 15-year-old center. "I don't know the number participating, but it is very big." Without question, the key moment came in 2002 when Yao Ming entered the NBA. The 7-6 center became a hero across Asia. Broadcasts of his Houston Rockets games in China have drawn more than 100 million viewers overseas. Yao became an All-Star on the court and a star in television commercials off it. "Yao has a very big impact," said Chen Jianghua, 16, a 6-2 guard who scored a team-high 14 points against the USA's White squad. "Everyone watches him." The first modern professional team in China was a club team started in Shenyang and sponsored by the Anshan Steel Company. The Chinese Basketball Association was formed in 1995 and in 2004 had 12 teams. "That's a reason for young kids to play basketball in China," Wu said. "The young kids grew up with it." Wu said some of the better teenage players didn't make the trip because of a national competition going on simultaneously in China. Still, the group included a 6-11 forward, De Lehei, four 6-10 players and a 6-9 forward. Wu said there are more tall players competing in China. In the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, China upset Serbia 67-66 to reach the quarterfinals before falling to Spain in the seventh-place game. "It's been getting better and better at the grass-roots level," Chen said. "At the pro level a little bit, but not that much as in the younger levels."</div> Source
