In the CBA, being a coach is not an easy task. They need to constantly communicate with players and referees, and when faced with unfair judgments, they must argue their case, sometimes even shouting loudly, completely losing their gentlemanly demeanor. In this regard, Yang Ming, the head coach of Liaoning, and Du Feng, the head coach of Guangdong, are typical examples. However, there are always some head coaches who are gentle and elegant, and even if they have disputes over judgments, they will communicate effectively. Fans often refer to such coaches as "Confucian coaches," and there are several in the CBA. However, one of them recently had his persona collapse.
During a CBA regular season match between Xinjiang and Shandong, the game was exceptionally intense, with both sides fighting until the end to determine the winner. Ultimately, Xinjiang lost to Shandong 107:111, suffering their first home defeat of the season. After the game, the two head coaches shook hands amicably, showing good sportsmanship. It was assumed that both were Confucian coaches, but a video exposed by netizens showed that Liu Wei, the head coach of Xinjiang men's basketball team, actually insulted the opposing players on the court, which was inconsistent with his usual behavior, and his post-game interview caused even more outrage.
During the game, Shandong men's basketball team was attacking, and Shandong guard Yu Dehao had the ball. At this point, Liu Wei shouted loudly to the Xinjiang players: "Let him shoot, let SX shoot." Yu Dehao shook his head in dissatisfaction but did not say much. He then made a three-pointer in front of Liu Wei and celebrated passionately with his teammates, forcing Liu Wei to call a timeout. Honestly, it is truly lacking in quality for a head coach to openly insult an opposing player on the court, which is inconsistent with his "Confucian coach" persona. And Yu Dehao also proved himself, as someone who usually struggles with three-pointers, he made 3 out of 8 in this game, each shot crucial, directly embarrassing Liu Wei.
In addition to insulting the opposing players on the court, Liu Wei's remarks after the game also angered many. In the Xinjiang vs. Shandong game, Zhao Rui was ejected for colliding with the referee, and the CBA did not show any leniency, imposing a fine of 100,000 yuan and a five-game suspension. No matter how you look at it, colliding with the referee is wrong, but Liu Wei said in a post-game interview: "Zhao Rui's departure had a significant impact on the team, and it must be Zhao Rui's own problem. But what problem could have led to this? I think it's because of the flow of the game. All fans, including CCTV broadcasts, hope to see star players compete. However, provoking a star player to the point of ejection is not particularly beneficial for the promotion of the CBA."
It is not difficult to see from Liu Wei's words that he believes Zhao Rui's ejection was due to his own problems, but the reason is still the referee, as the referee provoked Zhao Rui. Netizens do not agree with this at all, knowing that the game had only been going on for a few minutes, and the referee had done nothing wrong. Zhao Rui's foul could have been called or not, it was Zhao Rui who could not control his temper. Moreover, throughout the game, the referees were clearly biased towards Xinjiang, the home team.
As a meritorious player of the Chinese men's basketball team and a point guard for multiple national teams, Liu Wei should still pay attention to his image.