CHN - Everyone likes big Daba in China

Xinjiang (CBA) - Mongolia-born center Mengke Bateer is one of the most popular players in China and for good reason.

Fans love him because he dominates on the court, while teammates adore him because he's a great friend, a supreme tactician and even, according to one, a "spiritual leader".

Xinjiang star Bateer once played for Beijing where he teamed up with Jiao Jian, and the two were good friends.

But, Jiao fondly remembers, Daba (Bateer's nickname) used to feed him a tasty meal every now and again.

"When Daba was in Beijing, I often went to his place to enjoy some food," Jiao says in comments reported on sina.com.

"His wife is a very good cook, and every time I was there, I was privileged to eat the food.

"I love Mongolian boiled lamb, eaten by hand. That was fabulous! Every time, I ate a lot."

All good things come to an end, though, which happened when Bateer left for Xinjiang.

Jiao longs for the old days.

"Now Daba and his family have moved to Xinjiang and it's very difficult for me to eat Mongolian boiled lamb," Jiao says.

"I can understand that Daba decided to move from Beijing to Xinjiang. We are not young anymore, and he has a large family to be taking care of. He has to consider the income. It's obvious if someone pays more that he would come."

Chen Lei was also a teammate of Bateer's at Beijing and he treasured his experience with the big fella.

"People may think Daba is very rigid," Chen says, "but he's a very approachable guy.

"I joined the team in 1999 and at that time I was a "Green Bird" (Chinese for novice). I was young with zero experience, and all I did during training was concentrate on defending and pounding the boards.

"But even when we made mistakes, Daba never complained about us young players. He just told us 'there is nothing to be afraid of, just do it.'"

Was Bateer the type of player to take out his anger in the changing room after a defeat?

No, according to Chen.

"Daba was our spiritual and tactical leader," he says. "I remember one time, we lost to Jiangsu in an away game.

"After the game, Daba said to us 'It doesn't matter, it's only a game. We can win back at home."

"These words impressed me. In 2002, we were fighting Aoshen in the Guangan stadium.

"We were so eager to win because after the game, Daba was going to America (for the NBA). I can't remember the result. After the game, Xia Song and an American coach put a Denver Nuggets' jersey on Daba. It was very touching. We were all very sad to watch such a nice brother leaving."

FIBA