With the end of the 2023 season, the Chinese women's basketball team has completed the last task of the season and successfully defended the Asian Games women's basketball gold medal. In this season, the Chinese women's basketball team has won many important events such as the Asian Cup, Asian Games, and University Games. However, when FIBA Asia announced the Player of the Year, it was Li Meng, not Han Xu, who won the award. The result immediately sparked a strong discussion among fans.
Li Meng and Han Xu are undoubtedly the two core players of the current Chinese women's basketball team, each with its own characteristics and contributions. As a point guard, Li Meng is responsible for organizing offense and scoring, and is the tactical core of the team; Han Xu, on the other hand, is known for his inner line skills and is a strong barrier in the team's penalty area. From the perspective of ability, the two are of equal strength, each performing their own duties, and they also play an important role in the team.
Li Meng's choice is undoubtedly controversial, as her teammate Han Xu has given more in playing for the national team in the past year. Han Xu has been one of the busiest players in the Chinese women's basketball team this year, and she has been constantly traveling between China and the United States, playing in various tournaments for the Chinese team, which has led to her playing time in the WNBA constantly decreasing.
Specifically, Han Xu led the Chinese women's basketball team to win the Universiade championship, and helped the Chinese team win the championship in the Asian Cup final, scoring 26 points and 10 rebounds. In the Asian Games, she also contributed 10 points and 9 rebounds to help China win the championship. During the year, she won 5 important championships for the Chinese women's basketball team, including the WCBA championship, the WNBA championship, and the Asian Games, Asian Cup and Universiade 3 Asian championships.
In contrast, although Li Meng is the core offensive player of the Chinese team, she missed some events, including the Asian Games. In addition, there are controversies about her private life, which also affects her social image.
In fact, in 2022, Li Meng has already won the title of FIBA Asia's Best Women's Basketball Player. But Han Xu has not won this award so far, which is even more incredible. Han Xu's low-key personality may be one of the reasons why she can't be as exposed as Li Meng.
Therefore, this decision has also been questioned and bombarded by netizens. Many fans believe that Han Xu has changed the situation of the Chinese women's basketball team, and her contribution is even greater. It has also been pointed out that FIBA seems to consider only the ability of the players in the awards, and not the impact of character. Overall, most netizens and fans believe that Han Xu is more suitable to receive this award to affirm her contribution to the national team.
This also highlights that there are certain unreasonable or imperfect awards systems and standards for sports events. There are many more factors to consider when judging whether an athlete's contribution is comprehensive and fair based on individual merit. Whether an athlete can perform well on the field in the end is inseparable from the support and cooperation of teammates and coaches. In addition, the quality of an individual's character and the spread of positive values should also be one of the judging criteria.
However, the focus of the discussion was not on their skills, but on their character and contributions. This season, Han Xu worked hard for the national team, and almost all year round between the two countries, participating in the WCBA, WNBA, Asian Games, Asian Cup, Universiade and many other events, winning glory for the country. Especially in the Asian Games finals, Han Xu scored 10 points and 9 rebounds, and his outstanding performance helped the team successfully defend the title. In contrast, although Li Meng also played well, she was exposed to a messy private life last year, which hurt her public image as the first sister of the women's basketball team.
Therefore, while making great contributions to the national team this season, Han Xu also set an example as a leader of the women's basketball team with his excellent professional attitude and personal character. She sacrificed herself and gave silently, but never asked for additional recognition. This is exactly the positive optimism and dedication that Chinese sportsmanship emphasizes.
In contrast, although Li Meng has made a huge contribution as the main scoring point, her character controversy is still cloudy. The scandal a year ago still affects her and the team's image. Therefore, even if she performs well on the court, she still has a long way to go to become a role model for women's basketball and Chinese sports.
Therefore, when FIBA Asia announced that the best female player in Asia in the 2022-2023 season was Li Meng, many fans expressed strong dissatisfaction and doubts. They believe that this honor should belong to Han Xu, because she not only performed well on the court, but also interpreted what a real women's basketball leader is with noble character.
Indeed, the selection criteria for Asia's best players should not only focus on on-field performance and statistics, but also on the overall contribution and positive impact of the players. A conscientious and self-sacrificing player like Han Xu can become a model for the Chinese women's basketball team and even Chinese sports.
A good social image and positive role models are indispensable for promoting the development of China's sports industry. The Chinese women's basketball team should firmly grasp the banner of Han Xu, the "female Yao Ming", and build a collective spirit and positive values with her as the core, rather than just focusing on individual ability and data.
At the same time, we should also continue to support Li Meng to correct his mistakes and repay the support of fans and the country with his excellent performance. Only by taking a two-pronged approach, allowing two stars of different types and equal strength to work together, can the Chinese women's basketball team continue to create new brilliance.
Perhaps the awarding body can use the following aspects to determine the existing selection mechanism:
Not only the player's on-field performance and data are considered, but also their off-field performance is tracked and investigated, including their contribution to the team, personal character, positive energy, etc.
Increase the weighting of coaches and expert judges. Coaches and experts are more likely to see the impact of players on the team as a whole.
Let the fans also participate in the part of the rating, after all, the fans have the most direct knowledge of the player's performance. However, the weight can be lower.
A team award has been added to recognize players or coaches who have made significant contributions to the team.
Set more detailed judging criteria, and you can't just judge heroes by their abilities. Moral character should also be taken into account.
The statistics of the players should be comprehensive and fair, and should not be based on the performance of individual competitions.
Increase the weight, automatic statistics can be more objective and fair.
The Chinese women's basketball team will face more challenges in the new year, which requires the players to unite as one, cooperate with each other and complement each other's advantages. It is believed that with the improvement of the sports award mechanism, there will be more players who have paid silently to be recognized. I also hope that Li Meng's future performance can prove that she is worthy of this honor, and face the doubts of the outside world with a positive attitude.