"Because we all know, including Cui Yongxi himself, also know very well that the probability of being selected is small, and the probability of not being selected is large. So we look at this matter very calmly, and the most important purpose of this trip to the United States is to let him feel the process of running for the election and feel the competitive atmosphere of American basketball. ”
Text: Tan Liwen
As the "hope of the whole village", 20-year-old Choi Yong-hee embarked on a flight to the United States and officially began his dream journey this summer.
On the evening of April 25, the basketball agency East Basketball Star Alliance officially announced that its player Choi Yong-hee had officially signed up for the 2024 NBA draft. As soon as the news came out, it attracted the attention of the Chinese basketball world. On the one hand, this is one of the few good news for Chinese basketball after it has fallen into a trough in the past two years. On the other hand, just when all fans and industry insiders thought that there would be no Chinese players on the draft list again this year, Choi Yong-hee gave everyone hope.
Especially earlier, after Qingdao rising star Yang Hansen made it clear that he would not run in the draft this year, Cui Yongxi is currently the first and only Chinese player to officially announce his participation in the 2024 NBA draft.
First of all, the courage shown behind Choi Yong-hee's candidacy, as well as the mentality of learning and growing, should be recognized by everyone. But at the same time, it should be noted that this decision was made by Choi Yong-hee, his family and the team after a long and careful consideration, and it is not a recent idea.
Taking the opportunity of announcing his candidacy with Choi Yong-hee, the sports business also contacted the relevant person in charge of the Eastern Basketball Star League and learned some stories behind the scenes. The Eastern Basketball Star League told the sports big business that after the CBA playoffs, Cui Yongxi almost didn't have time to rest, so he set off for Orlando in the United States to play with the American agent non-stop. After arriving in the United States, the American agency team will advise Choi Yongxi on some precautions, jet lag and arrange a personal training plan, and then participate in the G-League training camp.
If he performs well at this training camp, Choi Young-hee will be expected to participate in a joint tryout in Chicago. In addition, the U.S. agent team will also contact the team to fight for the opportunity of individual tryouts for NBA teams. In the end, Choi Young-hee and the team hope to have the opportunity to play in the summer league and learn and grow.
01
The germination of the impact on the NBA began in 2019
Originally planned to compete in the NCAA
In fact, Choi Yong-hee has many "origins" with the NBA. In 2015, Cui Yongxi participated in the 3X3 public welfare competition held by the Chinese Basketball Association and Dongguan Basketball School-NBA Training Center by Li Qunhui, the principal of Dongguan Basketball School, and brought him to Dongguan Basketball School.
It is worth mentioning that Dongguan Basketball School was authorized by the NBA in 2011, becoming the first NBA training center authorized by the NBA worldwide. Starting from Dongguan Basketball School, Cui Yongxi was truly exposed to NBA-style basketball training.
In 2018, Choi Yong-hee played many highlights in domestic U15 events, was invited to participate in the "NBA Elite Program - China Training Camp", and won the title of MVP in the training camp. In 2019, Choi Yong-hee, who has always performed well, was selected for the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, and officially went to Australia for further study.
Choi Young-hee at NBA International Academy
Source: East Basket Star Alliance
"When I was in Australia, we actually had already discussed the possibility of Choi Yong-hee hitting a higher stage, and at that time we started to have this idea (step by step to the NBA). The relevant person in charge of the East Basketball Star League said to the sports business.
According to the sports business, according to the original plan to hit the NBA step by step, Choi Yong-hee should enter the NCAA after participating in the NBA International Academy. At that time, there were 3 NCAA Division I schools for Choi Yongxi to choose from, but unfortunately due to the mask incident and the family's concern about his safety abroad during that time, the final plan to play NCAA had to be regrettably cancelled. The relevant person in charge of the East Basket Star Alliance said.
Plan A failed to make the trip, and Choi Yong-hee had no choice but to choose Plan B - to return to China to play. According to the sports business, Cui Yongxi went to the Beijing men's basketball team, the Beijing Enterprises men's basketball team and the Guangzhou men's basketball team for trial training after returning to China, and finally chose the Guangzhou men's basketball team after comprehensive consideration.
Under the guidance of the famous coach Guo Shiqiang, Cui Yongxi has made great progress. The 2023-24 season is Choi Young-hee's second season in the CBA. In the regular season this season, Choi Yong-hee played an average of 34.8 minutes per game, scoring 15.7 points, 6 rebounds and 3.3 assists. In the playoffs, where the confrontation is more intense and the pace is tighter, Choi Yong-hee can average 17.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. This season, Choi Yong-hee was also named to the All-Star starting lineup.
The relevant person in charge of the Eastern Basketball Star League said that Choi Yong-hee's outstanding performance in his rookie season (winning the best rookie) made Choi Yong-hee himself and the team "pick up" the idea of impacting the NBA again. In fact, after the end of the rookie season last year, Choi Yong-hee himself and the team have discussed and decided to run after the end of the 2023-24 CBA. ”
Choi Yong-hee won the Star Player of the Season in his rookie year
In the exchange with the sports business, the relevant person in charge of the Eastern Basketball Star League expressed his gratitude and training to the Guangzhou men's basketball team many times. The Guangzhou men's basketball team has not only vigorously cultivated Cui Yongxi in recent years, but also expressed strong support for the candidacy announcement issued by the agency at the critical stage of the playoffs against the Xinjiang men's basketball team.
"The Guangzhou men's basketball team said that the announcement of the candidacy can be issued at any time. Whether it is the owner of the Guangzhou men's basketball team himself or the guidance of Guo Shiqiang, he is very supportive of Cui Yongxi's candidacy. At the same time, they are also very happy that Choi Yong-hee can have the opportunity to go to a higher level of stage, and they are unconditionally relieved and supportive. The relevant person in charge of the East Basket Star Alliance said.
02
"It's normal not to choose, feeling and narrowing the gap is the purpose of this trip"
As for whether he can be successfully selected, Choi Yong-hee and the East Basketball Star League don't care. "Because we all know, including Cui Yongxi himself, also know very well that the probability of being selected is small, and the probability of not being selected is large. So we look at this matter very calmly, and the most important purpose of this trip to the United States is to let him feel the process of running for the election and feel the competitive atmosphere of American basketball. ”
Perhaps it is because there have been no Chinese players on the NBA stage for too many years, which makes Chinese fans have great hopes for Choi Yong-hee. But it must be admitted that today's Chinese players are still far from the NBA. Therefore, Chinese fans can also relax their minds and do not need to put too much pressure and attention on Choi Yong-hee.
As for Choi Yong-hee's positioning to impact the NBA, the Eastern Basketball Star Alliance is very clear. "If you want to impact the NBA, Choi Yong-hee must start from defense and 3-point shooting, start from 3-and-D players, and specialize in dirty work. Because being a ball-handling initiator in the CBA does not mean that you can have the opportunity to initiate with the ball in the NBA, there is no shortage of ball-handling nuclei in the United States. ”
In a sense, Choi Yong-hee wants the NBA's self-positioning to be slightly similar to that of Yuta Watanabe, a Japanese men's basketball player - they all need to start from dirty work, they all need to start from defense and 3 points, and their identity has changed from "red flower" to "green leaf". It is worth mentioning that Choi Yong-hee and Yuta Watanabe were both born into basketball families, and they were also influenced by their parents to get into basketball.
In the end, Yuta Watanabe relied on his persistence and received a formal contract as a "lost draft". However, compared with the 29-year-old Watanabe, Choi Yong-hee has a youthful advantage. In addition, Choi Yong-hee is fluent in English and has a sunny, cheerful and outgoing personality that makes it easy for him to mingle with strangers. These are Choi Yong-hee's strengths.
During the regular season of this season's CBA, NBA Timberwolves scout Kevin Connelly watched Choi Yong-hee's game at the CBA site, and he believes that Choi Yong-hee is very patient when he plays, has his own rhythm, is good at passing and actively fighting, but needs to improve his physical confrontation and become tougher.
Choi Yong-hee once again expressed his determination to make the trip in an interview: "I am no longer a young player at my age, and this draft is an opportunity for me to be enriched and improved this summer. Whether or not I can be selected is another matter, but I still have to do the challenge. ”
No matter what the outcome of this trip is, I hope that Cui Yongxi's dream chasing trip can see the gap between himself and Chinese basketball and try to catch up.
Note: Except for the title picture and special notes, the rest of the pictures are from Osports