The former planted trees, and the later people cooled off. I believe that no matter how many years, as the first Chinese player to land in the NBA, Wang Zhizhi, who has excellent strength and played a pioneering role in the development of Chinese players staying in the West, will certainly enjoy a unique space in the history of Chinese basketball.
Any star has their own anecdotes or anecdotes, and Wang Zhizhi is no exception. In this article, the author will sort out a little bit and take stock of ten anecdotes about Wang Zhizhi that are not necessarily widely known, so that fans who are interested in him can get to know him more comprehensively. Of course, due to space limitations, if there is any discussion or supplement, fans are welcome to leave a message in the comment area to share.
First, about Wang Zhizhi's growth background
Wang Zhizhi was born in a basketball family in Beijing, his father Wang Weijun and his mother Ren Huanzhen are both basketball players, and they all played in the Beijing men's basketball team in their youth.
Borrowing from wang's father Wang Weijun at that time, it was said that after all, his parents had played basketball all their lives, and what they understood best was basketball, whether the child was male or female, we decided to let him continue to play basketball and reach a height that had not been reached in our time. With the blessing of his parents' genes, Wang Zhizhi had grown to a height of 2.05 meters when he was 15 years old, and entered the Beijing Sports School early to learn basketball.
Second, the Beijing men's basketball team missed wang Zhizhi's reason
Wang Zhizhi's parents used to be basketball players in the Beijing team, and Wang Zhizhi's parents also arranged for Wang Zhizhi to enter the youth training system of Beijing basketball on the road of basketball, and it is reasonable to say that the possibility of becoming a famous player in the Beijing men's basketball team is very high, but Wang Zhizhi left Beijing at the age of 14 and joined the Bayi men's basketball team, and finally became a meritorious member of this classic basketball team.
The reason behind it also needs to start from the luck and chance, the Beijing men's basketball team already had two centers, Shan Tao and Battle, at that time, and Dazhi's parents thought that it was difficult for their son to cross these two mountains. In addition, the Beijing basketball system does not attach great importance to Wang Zhizhi.
According to Ren Huanzhen's recollection, his son stayed at the Beijing Sports School, which was more than two meters tall, and the Beijing Sports School did not even prepare a large bed for Wang Zhizhi, who had been sleeping uncomfortably. Therefore, when it was later known that the Bayi youth training lacked a center, Wang Zhizhi's parents sent their children to the Bayi men's basketball team for training, instead of hoping that he would start to grow up in his parent team Beijing men's basketball team as originally planned.
3. Wang Zhizhi was once the best center forward & tournament block king at the World Youth Championships.
The 1995 World Youth Championship was a basketball tournament in which Wang Zhizhi really became famous. In that year, the 18-year-old Wang Zhizhi turned out to be a completely different style of play from the Chinese center players in the past fan cognition range, the limelight completely overwhelmed the team's Li Qun, Li Nan, Zhu Dong, Hu Weidong and other famous players, personally cut 22.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game, leading the Chinese national youth to ninth place at the same time, personally selected for the best team, the second place in the scoring list, the second place in the rebounding list, and the first place in the block list. Since then, Wang Zhizhi has become the hottest newcomer in the national basketball team.
4. Wang Zhizhi has received scholarship invitations from six NCAA first-class universities to join
In 1994, 17-year-old Wang Zhizhi had already been selected for the national men's basketball team, setting a record for the youngest national team member. After becoming famous at the 1995 World Youth Championships, the national men's basketball team naturally attached great importance to Wang Zhizhi. In 1996, Gong Luming directed the 19-year-old Wang Zhizhi to the Atlanta Olympics and put him in charge.
On his first Olympic trip, the young Wang Zhizhi lived up to expectations, averaging 11.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and was the second leading scorer of the national men's basketball team at that time. In a match against the American Dream Team, Wang Zhizhi delivered a classic big pot while defending "Admiral" David Robinson, which also became a classic shot in the early days of Wang Zhizhi's career.
After the Olympic Games, as many as 6 NCAA first-level universities recognized the talent of this Chinese basketball newcomer and sent him a basketball scholarship invitation to join. Unfortunately, due to the situation at that time and the identity of Wang Zhizhi's belonging, the latter naturally failed to make the trip. Later, in 1999, Wang Zhizhi was selected in the No. 7 position in the second round of the NBA Draft, but still could not get the release. It was not until 2000 that Wang Zhizhi started his career journey in the NBA and went to the other side of the ocean to challenge himself.
Fifth, Wang Zhizhi has won a mini middle-class contract in the NBA
From 2000 to 2005, Wang Zhizhi played for the Mavericks, Clippers and Heat in the NBA, positioning himself as a substitute rotation center, playing in a total of 137 games, contributing 4.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 0.3 blocks per game, shooting 41.7% from the field and 38.5% from three-point range.
Wang Zhizhi's peak years in the NBA must have been the first two years of the lone ranger, in the playoff level team, Wang Zhizhi relied on the three-point feeling to play a rotating player, the role was mostly arranged by the coach to receive the high artillery station outside, and in the playoffs, he also scored a little playing time to implement long-range shooting tactics.
When he left the Lone Ranger in 2002, Mr. Wang was offered a two-year, $4 million contract from the Clippers. It's worth noting that the NBA salary cap of that era was only $40.27 million. Analogy to today, Wang Zhizhi got a mini middle-class contract of about $6 million in the free market at that time, which is actually a rather remarkable achievement, and that is what Wang Zhizhi almost gambled on the reputation of life in exchange for it. In contrast, Yi Jianlian entered the NBA on the lottery show, opened high in the early stage but went low in the later stage, and could only get a basic salary contract after the end of the rookie contract.
Vi. About Wang Zhizhi's nickname
Nickname culture is part of basketball culture, and many well-known players have their own nicknames, and Wang Zhizhi is no exception. Regarding Wang Zhizhi, the most famous nickname is "Wind Chasing Teenager", which needs to start from the style of wang Zhizhi's youth, when he was young, he was quite fast in running speed and offensive pace, and he was able to follow up with fast attacks during the game, which made domestic fans who were accustomed to column centering refreshing.
In addition to the "Wind Chasing Youth", Wang Zhizhi was also habitually and affectionately called "Dazhi" by fans, which needs to start from the three major centers at that time. For these three giants (Battle, Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming), the later fans unified as bus, Dazhi, And Dayao, and then it was passed down.
7. Wang Zhizhi inflicted a terrible death on an unscrupulous female journalist in the United States
The world is like a chess piece, and it is difficult to regret it! When it comes to Wang Zhizhi's basketball career, the "no return incident" of that year and the dismissal of the national team must be a chapter that cannot be bypassed. Back in the summer of 2002, the Lone Ranger had no plans to renew his contract with Wang Zhizhi, which meant that Wang Zhizhi needed to find a new job in the NBA.
However, in the summer at that time, the task of the national team was very heavy, and there was a need to recall Wang Zhizhi for the Busan Asian Games and the World Championships. In fact, when they were in the United States, Wang Zhizhi and the Mavericks also promised to come back to play for the national men's basketball team if necessary.
Considering this situation, Wang Zhizhi expressed his wish to the Basketball Association, hoping to participate in the summer league first and then return to China, and later participate in the team training, and will not miss the national team game. For this plan, in fact, the Bayi team did not have much opinion at that time, but the Basketball Association did not agree and sent Kuang Lubin and A's Jiang to persuade Wang Zhizhi to give up the summer league and come back early to prepare.
At this point, Wang Zhizhi still chose to make a desperate bet, played the missing wife and personal assistant, moved away from the Dallas residence, went to Los Angeles to play the summer league to fight for a future, and then returned to the Chinese men's basketball team to play the game, and for a while everyone could not contact Wang Zhizhi.
In this case, in fact, the situation of Wang Zhizhi and the national men's basketball team has always been a problem at the basketball and sports levels. At this juncture, a female reporter named Judy Fred of the Dallas Morning Post came out to be a demon, fanning the flames, adding oil and vinegar, and fabricated an article directly saying that Dazhi was defecting. After the public opinion effect of the article fermented and spread back to China, the impact of the incident expanded infinitely, and the identity of Dazhi, who was born from the Bayi team, was particularly sensitive.
As a result, the Basketball Association could not withstand the pressure, no longer entangled in recalling Dazhi, and pursuing The responsibility of Dazhi after the defeat of the World Championship group to expel him from the national team. Since then, Daiji has also begun to "disappear" from the domestic media, and it was not until he returned to the team in 2006 and apologized that the "No Return Storm" ended.
VIII. About Wang Zhizhi's love
Wang Zhizhi had two marriages, and his first wife was named Song Yang, who was three years older than Wang Zhizhi and was the son of a high-ranking cadre. The opportunity for the two to meet was that Wang Zhizhi lost power on his mobile phone at the airport and happened to find Song Yang to borrow a phone, after which the two fell in love. at
During Wang Zhizhi's trip to the United States to play, Song Yang also followed the past to take care of Wang Zhizhi and serve as a Xiannei assistant, and the two went through many ups and downs together. In 2004, Song Yang gave birth to a son, and the Wang family named him Wang Xilin, which is derived from Xiangrui. It is a pity that Wang Zhizhi and Song Yang did not come to the end, and the two finally divorced.
After the divorce, the two had been photographed talking happily with each other for their children's academic problems, and should have broken up peacefully. In May 2019, Wang Zhizhi married again, and the current bride is Zhou Lei (first from right), a program host who has worked for Guangxi Satellite TV, and is 13 years younger than Wang Zhizhi in age.
9. Regarding the nationality of Wang Zhizhi's son
Wang Zhizhi's son, Wang Xilin, was born in the United States, and the media used to be very concerned about the choice of his son's nationality, but after Dazhi's tough response in the interview that year, everyone's discussion disappeared.
At that time, when asked whether his son was of American nationality, Wang Zhizhi replied categorically, saying that everyone could rest assured that my son had always been a genuine Chinese. Compared with many sports stars who have children abroad, Wang Zhizhi's frank and generous response and failure to let his son become a U.S. citizen is actually very admirable.
10. Wang Zhizhi very much hates young players doing ineffective baifo dribbling on the playing field
In 2018, Wang Zhizhi briefly took over as the head coach of the Bayi team. Frankly speaking, the more introverted and easy-going Personality of Dazhi is actually not particularly suitable for being a head coach, and when leading the team, he is also known for his good temper, difficult to manage the eighty-one players with high morale and low ability below, and failed to save the team from the trough.
During his coaching period, Dazhi once left a golden sentence criticizing the players, which is still a classic memory of fans for his performance during his coaching. Thinking back to that time, the Bayi team's offensive constipation, the defender players have been ineffective in dribbling on the field, wasting fighters, and Wang Zhizhi, who can't watch it, deliberately called a timeout and angrily criticized the players: either pitch or pass! As soon as you worship the Buddha, you're finished, do you see someone paying attention to you!