Written and interviewed by Bao Renjun
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Qi has been joining NBL for 5 months.
This is Zhou Qi's second overseas league. Compared to the NBA, the NBL is a league that is completely unfamiliar to Chinese fans. In addition to Zhou Qi, Liu Chuanxing and Li Hongquan also played here.
Renjun Bao interviewed NBL President Loriger
What kind of league is this? Why did Zhou Qi and others choose to join them? Tencent Sports has an exclusive interview with NBL President Jeremy Lorig about why Zhou Qi joined and what the NBL can bring to these Chinese players, let's listen to Mr. President's interpretation.
"The NBL is the second league after the NBA"
Whether it's impact or athleticism, the NBA is recognized today as the world's number one basketball league. In addition, for many years everyone agreed that the Euroleague should be the second league outside the NBA.
But Lorigg believes the NBL should be the second-largest league in the world today.
The NBL has a total of 10 teams, nine of which are in Australia and one in New Zealand. From its first season in 1979, the NBL has now spent 42 years. The NBL once had a golden period and suffered a recession, and in recent years, the NBL's power is on the rise. According to relevant data, the average attendance of the NBL last season was less than 4,000, and the average attendance this season was more than 6,500. The NBL's team salary cap is $1.1 million, and the league implements a soft salary cap, and teams can sign a specific person beyond the salary cap. Mirotic, who plays in the Europa League, has a salary of nearly $5 million.
Although there is a certain gap between the NBL and the European League, the league has attracted many other high-level athletes in addition to players such as Zhou Qi, and the addition of three goals last year has made many Americans also have a strong interest in the NBL League.
Tencent Sports: Mr. President, first of all, thank you for the interview with Tencent, before we start, can you give us a brief introduction to yourself and the NBL League?
Løriguet: Absolutely, my name is Jeremy Lörigg, president of the Australian Basketball League. Our league is 42 years old and this is my seventh year as president. We have 10 teams, 9 in Australia and 1 in New Zealand. An interesting fact is that this season is one of the most culturally diverse in ourselves, coming from more countries around the world than ever before. ”
Tencent Sports: There have been other Chinese players who have played in the NBL before, this year Zhou Qi and two other Chinese players participated in the NBL is a big news, we have a lot of fans, but most of the fans do not understand the level of competition in the NBL, can you tell us about it, if compared with other leagues, how is the level of competition in the NBL?
Löriguet: We're a very competitive league, and a lot of places around the world talk about our league and think we're the second league in the world after the NBA. We've come a long way in the last four or five years, and we've attracted some of the best players in the world and, more importantly, Australian players who don't play in the NBA, all play in the NBL.
A lot of our players used to play in the Europa League, now more in Australia, and there are a lot of American free agents coming in because the NBL is now considered the best league after the NBA. In fact, 90% of the players have experience in the NBA or NBA-related leagues, such as development leagues, summer leagues, etc., which brings us a lot of exchanges between the NBA and the NBL, and each of our teams has players who have NBA experience. ”
"Zhou Qi can return to the NBA through the NBL"
Compared to the rules of the NBA and THE FIBA, there are many differences between the rules of the two. For example, the NBA has three seconds to defend, fiba does not. This rule will have a huge impact on the game of basketball. At the Basketball World Cup held in China that year, many American athletes suddenly found that Gobert could occupy the basket for a long time without coming out, and the defender players were forced to change their playing style. The NBA has changed its rules to reduce physical contact and improve scoring in order to make the game look better, and although there have been adjustments this season, most fans can still see the difference between the FIBA and the NBA. Because of this, many FIBA stars do not play well in the NBA, and in the same way, some role players in the NBA can shine in FIBA.
Loriger believes that the NBL is the transition between the NBA and the FIBA, which is very helpful to Zhou Qi.
The NBL's rules, closer to FIBA, are not defensive for three seconds. So far, Zhou Qi has averaged the first in the NBL, thanks in large part to the difference in rules. Zhou Qi's first 4 games in the NBL have had 17 blocks, while in the Rockets that year, Zhou Qi had only 14 blocks in two seasons.
Tencent Sports: Zhou Qi is China's top player, have you seen him before, how much do you know about him?
Lorige: We definitely know Zhou Qi, before the epidemic we often led the team to China, basically four or five times a year, we would take the NBL elite team, usually once a year to play with the Chinese team, Zhou Qi is very difficult to deal with, he plays very well. Even in Olympic qualifiers, world championships, etc., we know him very well. Even the Australian public knows Zhou Qi's talent, and now they all know it.
Tencent Sports: Zhou Qi has some overseas playing experience, and it is not as successful as everyone expects, how do you think the NBL can help him grow?
Lörigg: The NBL is the perfect combination of the NBA and international basketball, just like the NBA, very athletic, fast-paced, fiercely competitive, and at the same time we have the economic level of the international men's basketball team, a lot of physical contact, very dependent on basketball IQ, and ball skills, which is a combination of the two. If you look at Zhou Qi's previous experience, he is obviously the number one choice in the team, and playing in the NBL can help Zhou Qi play international matches in FIBA, and give him a chance to maintain a high level of athletic ability like other players, which can give him the opportunity to play in the NBA later. We've seen that he's a very adaptable player, his ability to run without the ball is very good, he has a height advantage, and I'm very confident that he can succeed in the NBL and one day return to the NBA. ”
Tencent Sports: In addition to Zhou Qi, there are 2 other Chinese players, where do you think the NBL attracted this player?
Lörigg: I think it's the same reason, we're all kinds of basketballs. First of all, FIBA, which may also include European basketball, very technical, very disciplined, very disciplined offense, strict defense, very tough basketball, in addition to we also have elements of NBA basketball, smooth rhythm, very athletic, we are in the middle, which gives them the opportunity to develop in the opposite direction of any one, can go to Europe to play, play international games for China, and seek opportunities to enter the NBA. At the same time we are still an English-speaking league, which gives them a chance not only to practice basketball skills, but also to improve their basketball English vocabulary, which is also important for NBA teams, we have Australian player Didi Luzada who was selected by the Pelicans and his English needs to improve, he returned to the Sydney Kings to improve his English. This is also true for Chinese players, who practice basketball and English. ”
"The NBL's relationship with the CBA is very important"
Zhou Qi joined, which is undoubtedly an opportunity for the NBL to promote the NBL in China.
When asked this question, Loriger cleverly avoided talking about it, but talked about the cooperation between Australian basketball and Chinese basketball.
Loriger has led the team to China many times, whether it is the Chinese team members or the national conditions, it is bound to know a lot. Because of this, when asked about the promotion of the league in China, Mr. President did not directly talk about the specific business strategy, which is not at all the same idea as the AMERICAN counterparts who value commercial interests, but more like an official who understands the rules of the Chinese game.
Although Australia is geographically located in Oceania, there is also a certain competition with Chinese basketball. Loriguet said that best friends should be mutually beneficial and competitive.
Tencent Sports: Chinese fans will watch Zhou Qi's game, they will naturally watch the NBL, as the president, do you have any plans to take this opportunity to promote the NBL League in China?
Lorige: The NBL and the CBA are very closely related, and before the covid-19 pandemic, we will lead the team to play against the CBA team and the Chinese national team. The relationship between the NBL and the CBA is very important, Australia and China are the two basketball powers in the Asia-Pacific region, it is very important for us to work together to promote the cause of basketball in the region, to prove to the world that Asian basketball can also dominate the world, to do this must have a good friendship, but also have a strong competition, so we maintain this friendship and competition relationship.
As far as I'm concerned, the best competition tends to come from best friends, very entertaining, good friends off the field, competitors on the field. I think through the three outstanding players Zhou Qi, Li Hongquan and Liu Chuanxing, the NBL can not only increase its visibility in China, but also show the overall competitive level of the NBL, and also benefit the CBA's popularity in Australia. ”
"No matter what, Zhou Qi will be himself."
Zhou Qi's experience in the NBA is not satisfactory, this time to the NBL, what advice will the president give him?
Loriger's answer was very simple, Zhou Qi was already good enough to be himself.
Tencent Sports: Zhou Qi is an MVP-level player in the CBA, if you give him some advice to make him successful in the NBL, what advice would you give him?
Lörigg: It's a really good question, keep doing what he's doing now, he's doing great, he's doing well in preseason, running on the court, his strength is height plus the ability to move, and there's a transition process at the same time, facing the basket, instead of going to the basket and back to the basket, he now has the opportunity to play this fast-paced game, farther away from the Nets, I think he has a chance to be Durant's kind of player, his basketball IQ is very high, soft feel, excellent passing ability, he's very dangerous under the basket, His rim protection ability is also very strong, and my advice is to continue to do what he is doing now, which is the advantage he brings to the game and can be a good reason.
My other piece of advice is to be a good teammate, he's come a long way, it looks like he's got a great relationship with his teammates, he doesn't look that rigid, he has a good sense of humor, which is important for the success of the NBL because being part of the team, being part of the team culture, not every team has two superstars leading the team forward, most teams have similar player abilities, so being part of the team is very important to be successful here. ”