[by Mark Nilrad] - Wang ZhiZhi had “It”. Chinese players don’t have “It”. Not now, especially not ten years ago.

His career was perfect from one end to another. Six championships with the army team in six years, 36th overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA draft, first Chinese (and Asian) player in the NBA... it was all coming together for him. Beloved of the Chinese government and his many fans, he was the Chinese media darling that was going to rocket Chinese basketball, Chinese sport, and China in general, to heights unknown.

Then…then came the “but”. In one summer, he alienated himself from the entire Chinese population by declining to go back to China in the summer. The Chinese authorities immediately banned him from China, and enforced a “blanket coverage” on him, meaning no Chinese media could even mention him anymore. When the Mavericks didn’t re-sign Wang, his fall to an NBA flunky was accelerated, and Yao Ming’s rise to superstardom only made it worse. By 2005, he was out of the NBA, and the death of Wang ZhiZhi was complete.

Then…there was the other “but”. Wang said he was sorry. Wang said he was immature, and he said he was really, really sorry. Wang wanted in again. His resurrection came only after he figuratively and verbally prostrated himself before the CBA and China. But just like that, in weeks, he was back in China, and back playing for China in the World Championships. His comeback came full circle when he won his seventh title, beating Yi Jianlian and the three-time champions Guangdong Tigers in five games.

That is the career of Wang ZhiZhi. Compare this to the relatively smooth progressive arc of Yao Ming, going from the bottom of the pile to the top of the heap. Compare it to Yi Jianlian, who has gone through his own trials, yet is still destined to be a top-10 pick. When you compare them to Wang, it seems as if a career has been wasted, a career destined for a higher purpose instead thrown into the gutter.

But why did he not become a great one? Why did he not become a superstar? Why did he not mature and grow as Yao did? Why did he split from China?

Yao Ming said it was because Wang had a hard time because was drafted in the second round, by a deep, playoff-caliber team that was looking to get as much out of Wang with as little effort possible from their side (in other words, they wanted to invest in him, and hope he can develop on his own).

Another reason may be that China required too much of him. In his rookie NBA season, Wang wasn’t allowed to leave China until there were only 10 games left in the regular season, and two days after the Mavericks were eliminated in the playoffs, Wang had to fly back to play in the East Asian Games. The next season, he missed the first two months of the season because he was required (/forced) to play in the National Games. For a new player trying to assimilate himself on a good team, missing games like that can be devastating for your development.

But perhaps there is another deeper, underlying reason. In the whole chapter in Yao Ming’s autobiography that was devoted to Wang ZhiZhi, Wang Fei (who used to be the national team head coach, but got bounced after losing to South Korea, and is now coaching a bottom-three team in the CBA) said, “The difference between Yao Ming is…in their attitudes and how hard they play the game. Yao Ming is the hardest-working player I’ve ever coached...He might not have agreed with or understood everything I asked him to do, but he always tried his best to do it. ” And again: “What stood out was his passion fir the game. He played hard.”

That is the rice-paper wall that separates Yao from Wang. Every coach or player that has seen Yao has said he’s the hardest-working player they’ve ever seen. With Wang, he seems more of a deadhead. Those are harsh words, but true.

But Wang is not an isolated example, or an exception to the rule. Unfortunately for the development of Chinese basketball, it seems that Wang is actually the trendsetter. The cold hard truth is that the top players in China are willing to be just, only that: the best players in China. Instead of working towards a higher goal, and the chance to play in a better league – the NBA, maybe even Europe – they just plateau at a certain level and top out there. To be fair, the Chinese team officials managing them (and to be honest, players are controlled like the baseball players in the 50s and 60s) do not do a great job of providing them opportunities to play against higher level competition. However, regardless of the opportunities the officials give players, the fact of it is that the best players don’t work hard anymore once they get to a certain level.

But to get back to Wang: Despite the fact Wang leading the Bayi Rockets to the championship once again, and is now playing and sharing a starting job with Yi Jianlian, there is still a significant percentage of Chinese fans who still feel hurt because of Wang’s abandonment of China, and they feel maybe he shouldn’t have allowed back. However, the truth is that, whatever hurtful things Wang has done to Chinese basketball, Wang was a pioneer. As Yao Ming said, “He was the first center from our country who could run, jump, shoot, block shots, and be part of the fast break.” And Wang even made the way easier for Yao, somewhat ironically. Because Wang defected, China actually went easier on Yao, letting him have more freedom in staying in the US instead of playing for the national team.

So remember Chinese basketball, because Wang ZhiZhi was the original force that led to dominant Yao we see today, the Yao that is the force behind China. Most people don’t remember Wang, with good memories, but for good or worse, Wang ZhiZhi was a true trailblazer.