The Chinese men's basketball team was once a dominant force in Asia, achieving multiple top-eight finishes in the world. However, since Xin Lancheng took office as the chairman of the basketball association, all these achievements were destroyed. He not only forced Yao Ming to retire at the age of 31 but also led to Wang Zhizhi being expelled from the national team. Fans believe that he set back Chinese basketball by 20 years. What exactly did Xin Lancheng do that was so outrageous?
The ups and downs of the men's basketball team are both loved and hated by fans. The glory of Chinese men's basketball is something that fans could talk about endlessly. Chinese men's basketball developed alongside the reform and opening up. In 1984, the Chinese men's basketball team participated in the Olympics for the first time and achieved a top-eight finish, which was of great significance to the development of our country's basketball career. After that, many famous players contributed to the development of our country's basketball career, such as Zhang Weiping, Liu Yudong, Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, etc. When they were there, the achievements of the Chinese men's basketball team were one after another. It would not be an exaggeration to say that we were a strong team on the Asian continent.
But who would have thought that such an experienced team would remain in a low period? If you ask fans who is responsible for the current state of Chinese men's basketball, they will definitely name Xin Lancheng. Xin Lancheng is considered a late bloomer. He was originally in track and field and later switched to the basketball industry. He was appointed as the chairman of the basketball association. During his tenure, the performance of the Chinese men's basketball team can be described as abysmal. In the Tianjin Asian Championship, he directly lost the championship at home and set the lowest score in history. In the 2009 competition, Chen Jianghua was recalled from the United States to participate in the game. However, citing "injury" as the reason, he was allowed to play for only 15 minutes. Later, the results were as poor as they could be. At the London Olympics, the Chinese men's basketball team lost to all opponents and ranked at the bottom. In the Philippine Asian Championship, they lost to Iran and South Korea. Even the basketball team from Taiwan could defeat the mainland team. Such results caused many fans to criticize his management ability.
During Li Yuanwei's tenure, his management philosophy was professional management. Because he was a genuine basketball player, he had a clear understanding of the sport. During his many years in office, coupled with Yao Ming's leadership, our men's basketball team's performance remained at the top of Asia and among the top eight in the world. But under Xin Lancheng, things were different. He began to reform the CBA. For example, to ensure the training time of the national team, some unimportant events were ignored. Especially in international competitions, to be able to perform at the best level, he reduced the number of CBA events significantly. It seemed like he was letting the players focus on training, but the results were unsatisfactory. We all know that no matter how well you train, it is always different from actual combat. Without professional competitions, players cannot improve through actual combat, analyze opponents, and enhance their abilities. This move directly led to a noticeable gap among the players.
Xin Lancheng's reforms were somewhat controversial, but the following is the reason why fans stood against him. Over the years, Xin Lancheng seemed keen on changing coaches for the national team. Each coach has a different style and training intensity for the players. In training, players need time to adapt to the coach. Just when both sides get familiar with each other, another coach is replaced. This leads to the players' training needing to be readjusted from time to time. The impact on the results on the court is obvious to everyone. Training standards are not met, and the league has been reduced. Players who used to make money by playing games no longer have to consider income.
This is like falling into a vicious cycle, leading to declining performance and sponsors withdrawing funds. It was also because of Xin Lancheng's stubbornness that even Yao Ming quit. Yao Ming's achievements and popularity in the NBA are evident to global fans. However, domestically, no matter how famous he is, he must follow the organization's arrangements. With Yao Ming as the ace, he would participate in any game. Just finishing an NBA event, he would immediately join domestic competitions. Continuous high-intensity work arrangements made it impossible for Yao Ming to maintain his health. Especially when not participating in games, he still had to attend various commercial activities. Under such pressure, his health deteriorated. Ultimately, at the age of 31, he retired due to injury. Yao Ming's outcome is just one of them; there is another who suffered even worse.
Wang Zhizhi was already a nationwide sensation before Yao Ming. Relying on his solid skills and strength, he successfully entered the NBA. At that time, everyone had high hopes for Wang Zhizhi, even calling him the number one player in men's basketball. If he continued playing, his achievements in the basketball world would only increase. However, such a promising individual ended up with nothing. Xin Lancheng, for the sake of domestic competition results, asked Wang Zhizhi to return to prepare. This led to him losing the opportunity to renew his contract. When the other party wanted to stay in the United States, public opinion about Wang Zhizhi turned negative. Especially after seeing him really go abroad, netizens started to angrily criticize Wang Zhizhi. At this time, Wang Zhizhi, in order to renew his contract abroad, did not return to the team. As a result, he was expelled from the national team. Finally, at a young age, he announced his retirement.
After the withdrawal of Wang Zhizhi and Yao Ming, two powerful players, the performance of the Chinese men's basketball team has remained in a depressed state. On the contrary, Xin Lancheng's position has soared. When news of his promotion came out, everyone found it incredible. Having held office for 14 years without much achievement and still gaining favor is truly astonishing. In response to external criticism, Xin Lancheng has stated publicly. He believes that he did not betray his conscience but was just conservative. Netizens are naturally dissatisfied with his response. Some even claim that he single-handedly set back Chinese men's basketball by 20 years.
Conclusion: Perhaps Xin Lancheng's original intention was good, but the methods may not have been suitable. To continue standing at the top of the world, Chinese men's basketball still requires great effort. Let us look forward to future outstanding achievements together.
