Introduction
In 2019, CBA's Guangsha men's basketball team spent $4.4 million to bring in Kenneth Faried, known as the "half-man, half-amazing," but upon arriving in China, he not only earned our money but also performed mediocrely and engaged in slandering China after leaving.
So, why do foreign players who earn Chinese money engage in discrediting China?
Background and Joining CBA of Kenneth Faried
This American player, nicknamed "half-man, half-amazing," once dominated the NBA court, making countless fans go crazy.
However, when he joined the CBA with a sky-high annual salary, he staged a farce that made people's jaws drop.
Faried's basketball career was glorious. In the NBA, he played for many teams, including the Denver Nuggets, Brooklyn Nets, and Houston Rockets.
His physical fitness is outstanding, with astonishing jumping ability, often contributing exciting dunks and blocks in games.
In 2013, he even won the MVP title of the All-Star Rookie Challenge, which can be described as dazzling.
However, with the increase in age and competition, Faried's status in the NBA gradually declined.
Just as his career seemed to reach a crossroads, China's CBA extended an olive branch to him.
In 2019, Zhejiang Guangsha men's basketball team signed Faried with an astonishing $4.4 million annual salary.
This figure not only made people stare in amazement but was also nearly five times Faried's salary in his last season in the NBA.
For Guangsha team, introducing Faried was undoubtedly a gamble.
They hoped that this former NBA star could help the team achieve success on the CBA court with his rich experience and excellent skills.
After all, in the past season, although Guangsha team performed well, they always missed the championship.
The joining of Faried caused a sensation at that time, with media scrambling to report and fans eagerly awaiting, all expecting this "half-man, half-amazing" to show his prowess on the CBA court.
Guangsha team's management was even more confident, believing that this investment would surely bring rich returns.
However, when Faried finally put on Guangsha team's jersey and stepped onto the CBA court, what appeared before everyone was a picture that was completely different from their imagination.
In his debut, Faried only scored 8 points and 7 rebounds with a surprisingly low shooting percentage.
Such performance formed a stark contrast with his mighty demeanor in the NBA, making people doubt whether this was still the Faried who once dominated the NBA.
In the following few games, Faried's performance remained unsatisfactory.
He seemed unable to adapt to the game rhythm and tactical system of the CBA, appearing out of place on the court.
Worse yet, his attitude began to be questioned.
It was reported that Faried showed laziness in training and ignored the coach's instructions.
Just as the team and fans were full of doubts about Faried's future, things took a bigger turn.
After playing only 7 games, Faried suddenly claimed that he was injured and needed to return to the United States for treatment.
This news came unexpectedly, leaving everyone unprepared.
So, what exactly happened to Faried in the CBA games?
Performance of Faried in CBA
Despite bringing the halo of an NBA star and a sky-high contract to China, he appeared powerless in actual games, or even a big disappointment.
Faried's CBA debut left a deep impression. In that much-anticipated game, this "half-man, half-amazing" seemed to have turned into a "half-dreamer," scoring only 8 points and 7 rebounds in 21 minutes of playing time.
What was even more astonishing was his shockingly low shooting percentage, hitting only 3 out of 11 shots, with a shooting rate of less than 30%.
Such performance formed a stark contrast with his mighty demeanor in the NBA, making people doubt whether this was still the Faried who once dominated the NBA.
In the following few games, Faried's performance remained unsatisfactory, appearing out of place on the court like a city dweller lost in the jungle.
His offense became indecisive, and his defense was riddled with flaws. Even occasional spectacular dunks or blocks could not mask his overall mediocre performance.
In 7 games, Faried averaged only 17.3 points and 10 rebounds, with a shooting percentage of just 48.1%, and even his free throw percentage was a pitiful 48.3%.
Such data was worlds apart from his $4.4 million annual salary.
As the saying goes, if a bird does not sing, it has already stopped; if it sings, it surprises. But Faried's performance in the CBA was neither silent nor surprising.
He not only failed to help Guangsha team improve its record but became a burden to the team.
In the 7 games he played, Guangsha team's record was not ideal, leaving the team management and fans disappointed and confused.
What was even more unacceptable was that Faried seemed unaware of his poor performance, instead showing a haughty attitude off the court.
Faried's poor performance in the CBA quickly spread throughout the basketball circle, with many fans and experts questioning Guangsha team's decision to introduce Faried, considering it a failed investment.
Some even jokingly said that Faried came to the CBA to "gild the lily" rather than to play basketball.
Facing such a situation, Guangsha team's management also felt tremendous pressure.
They originally expected Faried to become the savior of the team, leading them to challenge for the CBA championship.
However, reality gave them a loud slap in the face, not only failing to improve the team's performance but also adding to the financial burden with high salaries.
Improper Behavior of Faried
Faried's performance in the CBA was already disappointing, but his subsequent series of actions were even more shocking, akin to sentencing his own career to death.
At the end of 2019, when Guangsha team was suffering consecutive defeats, Faried suddenly disappeared from the team.
Fans eagerly awaited but did not see the figure of this "half-man, half-amazing."
It was not until the Chinese Basketball Association issued an announcement that people knew that Faried claimed to have a hand injury and needed to recuperate.
This should have been a normal thing, after all, player injuries are commonplace, but things soon took a turn.
Careful fans discovered something fishy. Three days before Guangsha team announced the suspension due to injury, Faried's social media positioning still showed Zhejiang Zhuji, but the next day he magically appeared in Miami, USA.
This discovery made people suspect that Faried's so-called "injury" might just be an excuse to leave China.
Faried's move not only made Guangsha team feel deceived but also made Chinese fans question his integrity.
However, this was just the beginning of a series of improper behaviors by Faried.
When people were still guessing when Faried would return to the team, he dropped a bombshell on social media.
Faried made irresponsible remarks on social media, publishing comments that split national sovereignty, seriously violating China's bottom line and causing strong dissatisfaction among Chinese fans.
Such behavior not only showed his ignorance and disrespect for Chinese culture but also seriously interfered in China's internal affairs.
Faried's remarks were tantamount to sentencing his CBA career to death.
On December 11, 2019, Guangsha Club decisively issued an announcement, announcing the termination of the employment contract with Faried.
This decision was both a punishment for Faried's improper behavior and respect for the feelings of Chinese fans.
However, things did not end there, and Faried's behavior aroused the attention and disgust of the entire CBA league.
Eventually, the CBA made an unprecedented decision: to completely ban Faried.
This meant that Faried would never be able to play on the CBA court again, and his professional basketball career in China came to a complete end.
Current Status of Chinese Men's Basketball
The Faried incident not only exposed problems in the CBA's introduction of foreign players but also reflected the many difficulties currently faced by Chinese men's basketball.
In recent years, the performance of Chinese men's basketball can be said to be declining, making people sigh.
Once upon a time, Chinese men's basketball was invincible in Asian competitions and repeatedly achieved remarkable results in the Olympics and World Cup.
However, today's Chinese men's basketball frequently suffers defeats in international competitions, and even its position as the Asian hegemon is precarious.
As the saying goes, when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The decline of Chinese men's basketball not only saddens domestic fans but also makes the international basketball world skeptical about the future of Chinese basketball.
Looking back at the glorious years of Chinese men's basketball, one cannot fail to mention Yao Ming, this top star.
Yao Ming not only dominated the NBA but also led Chinese men's basketball to repeatedly achieve remarkable results in international competitions.
However, since Yao Ming's retirement, Chinese men's basketball has not seen such a comprehensive and internationally influential star again.
Giants fall, dwarfs reign, and the current Chinese men's basketball team, though not lacking in excellent players, lacks a leading figure who can stand alone on the international stage.
The decline of Chinese men's basketball is not accidental but the result of accumulated problems in many aspects.
Firstly, there are serious defects in China's basketball youth training system. As the saying goes, it takes ten years to grow a tree and a hundred years to educate a person, and youth training is the foundation of basketball development.
However, the current youth training system fails to cultivate well-rounded excellent players, resulting in a severe talent gap.
Secondly, China's basketball training methods and concepts