The basketball World Cup came to an end, and the performance of the Chinese men's basketball team was dismal, a 21-point defeat that made them end in the worst record in history, and also completely lost the qualification to the Paris Olympics. What caused the Chinese men's basketball team to lose so much? From the disconnection of ideas to backward playing styles, to ineffective confrontation and mistakes in the use of personnel, people and media from all parties have carried out a lot of summary and analysis. However, is there a deeper reason behind all this?
In contrast, the other participating teams have more players playing in non-home leagues, with 22 teams playing overseas with more than 50% of the players. This phenomenon is also evident in African teams such as Canada, South Sudan, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Angola, etc. Most of the players from these countries choose to play in leagues in Europe or other countries to improve their competition. This trend is also manifested in Oceanian countries such as Australia and New Zealand, as well as in European countries such as Germany, France, Spain, etc., where players gain experience overseas and then return home to play.
The rise of the European Continental Basketball League is also worth watching. Currently, Europe has four separate continental basketball leagues, which have ensured that more than 100 European clubs are able to participate each season, which improves the quality and quantity of competitions. This allows some European giants such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Olympiax and others to participate in continental competitions in addition to domestic leagues, making them almost comparable to the NBA in the number of games per year. This competitive environment also helps players grow and exercise, making them better suited to world-class competitions.
On the whole, the poor performance of the Chinese men's basketball team may be related to the lack of player participation in overseas leagues and the gap in domestic league levels. To improve the competitive level of the Chinese men's basketball team, it is necessary to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with the world, let more Chinese players see the world, and at the same time attract more international players to play in the Chinese league to improve the level of competition and competitiveness. The development of basketball requires continuous innovation and reform, which is also the direction of the future development of the Chinese men's basketball team.