In 2001, the women's basketball semifinals of the East Asian Games. The Chinese team faces the old Asian rival Japan. In the final quarter of the game, the Chinese team fell into a hard battle. At this time, a player wearing the No. 9 jersey stood up, and she was 18-year-old Chen Nan.
At this moment, Chen Nan entered a state of selflessness. She scored 19 points alone in the final quarter, almost half of the total points scored by the Chinese team. In the end, the Chinese team won 108-79. Chen Nan shot 23 of 26 from the field and 9 from three-point range, scoring 50 points. The opponent Japan team has nothing to do.
A month later, in the final of the Asian Championships, China played Japan again. Chen Nan turned into a hero again, scoring 50 points and 11 rebounds, and the double-double data in a single game helped China defeat its opponent 105-76 and defend the championship. Within a year, 18-year-old Chen Nan faced the Japanese team twice, scoring 50+ on both occasions, and led China to win by a big score, shocking the Asian basketball world.
Chen Nan was born on September 16, 1972 in Dalian, Liaoning Province, into a basketball family. His father is the main player of the Chinese national men's basketball team, and his mother is also a sports athlete. Athletic talent is evident.
In 1990, Chen Nan entered the Liaoning Provincial Sports School and began to systematically learn Xi basketball. With outstanding physical condition and ball intelligence, he soon became the main force of the school team. In 1996, Chen Nan, who was only 14 years old, was selected for the national youth team and began her national career. A year later, he was selected for the national team.
In 1998, 16-year-old Chen Nan entered the senior national team squad for the first time and began to fight side by side with generations of women's basketball legends. In 2001, Chen Nan officially became the main force of the national team. In the same year, he broke out against the Japanese team twice and proved the strength of his top players.
Chen Nan has a tall figure of 203cm and excellent athleticism, can play and defend, and is a typical all-round center player. After she joined the national team, the Chinese women's basketball team changed from a thin inner line to an inner line, and her tactical play style has become increasingly mature and perfect. It can be said that Chen Nan's growth has led to the progress of the entire Chinese women's basketball team.
The Chinese women's basketball team was established in the 80s and gradually rose to prominence in the mid-90s, dominating Asia. But in front of a truly world-class team, there is still a gap in strength. The addition of Chen Nan has made the Chinese team's internal line much stronger and more comprehensive. Under her leadership, the strength of the Chinese women's basketball team has been improved, and the hegemony of Asia has become more stable.
In the spotlight, every top athlete has their own rivals and opponents to beat. For Chen Nan, this old enemy is the Japanese team. The Japanese team, which began to rise in the 80s of the last century, once dominated the Asian women's basketball team. The Chinese team competed with it for the supremacy, and the competition has always been fierce.
And the appearance of Chen Nan changed the balance of power between the two teams. In 2001, Chen Nan's performance of 50+ in two battles has said it all. In the following ten years, as long as Chen Nan was there, the Chinese team almost never lost to the Japanese team. It was not until after the 2012 London Olympics that as Chen Nan gradually fell to the top, the Chinese team's performance began to decline, and it was overtaken by the Japanese team many times.
After the London Olympics, Chen Nan, who is over 30 years old, has declined. In the 2013 Asian Championships, the Chinese team was ended by the Japanese team to defend the title. It was also the first major loss of Chen's career. After the race, she announced her retirement.
More than two years later, however, the national team is back in need of the legendary superstar. In the 2016 Rio Olympic Games qualifiers, the Chinese team went through difficulties and almost failed to qualify. In order to solve the problem, the national team invited Chen Nan, who had been retired for less than three years.
Chen Nan, who has given birth, returned to the team again to help everyone win the last Olympic ticket. She fought side by side with rookie Khan Lin and proved with her strength that the emperor is still alive. In the end, the Chinese women's basketball team entered the Olympic Games as desired. This also became the perfect end to Chen Nan's career.
Looking back now, I have to feel the importance of Chen Nan to the Chinese women's basketball team. From 2001 to 2012, which was her heyday, it was almost the heyday of the Chinese women's basketball team. All important championships and honors are inseparable from Chen Nan. Especially in dealing with the old rival Japanese team, Chen Nan's performance is even more unbeatable.
Chen Nan's career has been divided into national brand shirts for 20 years. She is the first and only person in women's basketball history to compete in five Olympic Games. Honors include Asian Cup (two MVPs), Asian Games gold medals, World Championships champions, Olympic fifth place, and many more. The number of overall victories reached an astonishing double digits.
Such a brilliant achievement is unprecedented in the history of the Chinese women's basketball team. Even if you look at the basketball powerhouse of the United States, there are very few people who want to find such a women's basketball national career. It can be seen that Chen Nan is indeed worthy of the reputation of "the grandmaster of the Chinese women's basketball team".
The Chinese women's basketball team has a long way to go if it wants to win the championship trophy of world-class competitions again. But with the glorious history of such a leader as Chen Nan, they will be full of confidence and move forward bravely.