In recent years, the popularity of basketball in China has stemmed less from national teams, but rather the CunBA, or Village Basketball Association (With 村 cūn meaning village in Chinese). The CunBA shifts the spotlight from professional players to amateur local teams and grassroots tournaments. The games not only revitalized basketball culture among the youth, but also unexpectedly boosted tourism for hosting cities. By contrast, although well respected, the national men’s basketball team has struggled to generate the same level of excitement or cultural impact. 

This year, however, the national team achieved a long-awaited breakthrough at the FIBA Asia Cup, finishing in second place with a score of 89-90. They swept the group stage and defeated New Zealand in the semi-finals before falling to Australia by just one point. In the last 2.2 seconds, combo guard Hu Mingzuan attempted a game-winning three-pointer, but the shot bounced off the rim. Despite the unfortunate miss, this season’s silver medal marked China’s best performance in the tournament in a decade. 

Historically, China dominated the FIBA Asia Cup from the 1970s to the 2000s, with Yao Ming capturing international attention and leading the team to three consecutive gold medals from 2001 to 2005. After Yao retired from the national team, China cycled through a series of coaches and playing styles. The mid-2000s clearly marked the end of an era; since 2005, China has won gold only twice. In the last two tournaments, the team failed even to reach the podium. On the Olympic stage, their best finish has been eighth place, though more often the team has been eliminated in the qualifying rounds. 

So, while the team did not capture gold this year, the silver medal is still viewed as a major step forward. With a good mixture of seasoned veterans and rising talents, optimism is high within the Chinese basketball community. As Zhao Rui, the team captain, reflected, “Being undefeated in the group stage showed the strength of this generation of the national team—earned through sweat and injuries this summer. Every player was willing to sacrifice personal stats for the collective, with only one goal in mind: to win.” Catch the highlights below.

Another win for basketball in China comes this September when LeBron James and Nike make their return to cities like Shanghai and Chengdu for the Forever King Tour 2025. More on that here.

Cover image via Wang Dongzhen