Astound! The NBA Summer League was shocked by the "death of Chinese players", and 2.8 million fans collectively fried the pot!
"This is simply a naked humiliation of Chinese fans! An angry fan roared on social media. This scene reminds people of the injustices that Yao Ming encountered when he first entered the NBA. However, more than 20 years later, the situation of Chinese players in the NBA does not seem to have improved much.
On July 20, an NBA Summer League game caused an uproar. The Portland Trail Blazers' Chinese player Cui Yongxi only played a pitiful 3 minutes and 57 seconds in the game. This decision made the entire Chinese men's basketball team and the 2.8 million Chinese fans who watched the game online collectively dumbfounded.
"We're here to see Choi Yong-hee, not to see you guys! A fan left an angry message in the live broadcast room. Indeed, who would have thought that a top swing team in the NBA could attract the attention of so many Chinese fans? The answer is obvious - Choi Young-hee.
However, the coach of the Trail Blazers does not seem to be buying the accounts of Chinese fans. For most of the game, he opted to reuse Korea's Lee Hyun-joong and pin Choi Yong-hee firmly to the bench. This decision was a stroke of genius – if the goal was to lose even worse.
Lee Hyun-joong's performance on the court can be described as "miserable": 1 of 4 shots, 0 of 3 three-pointers, 0 of 1 free throws in 10 minutes, and only 2 points and 2 rebounds. What's worse is that his plus/minus is as high as -12, firmly sitting in the last place in the game. In contrast, Choi Young-hee only played for 4 minutes, but he set a team-high +2 plus/minus. This is simply a living case of "Seon lost a horse"!
"Does this coach have eye problems? One fan couldn't help but complain, "Isn't it obvious that the team won by 2 points when Choi Yong-hee came on the court and Lee Hyun-joong lost by 12 points when he came on the court?" ＂
What's even more laughable is that at the pre-game press conference, the coach of the Trail Blazers also praised Choi Yong-hee, saying that he worked hard and seriously. But when it came to the game, he was left to dry. This reminds us of the old saying: "Listen to what they say, watch what they do." ＂
In the garbage time at the end of the game, Choi Yong-hee finally got a chance to play. Although he made a three-pointer, the fighting spirit he showed was impressive. In order to defend the opponent's "three-point marksman" Morgan, Choi Yong-hee even did not hesitate to fly out of the field and try to disrupt the opponent's pass. This kind of hard work, I don't know if it has been seen by the coaches?
"What kind of summer league is this, it's just a 'flickering show'! A veteran fan said helplessly. Indeed, recalling the treatment of Ding Yanyuhang and Zhou Qi in the summer league back then, and looking at what happened to Cui Yongxi today, I have to say that the gap here is sad.
Interestingly, the rest of the Trail Blazers didn't do much as well. Murray was 1-of-6 from the field and Ruppel was 0-of-9 from three-point range, which is not a great statistic anywhere. In this case, why not give Choi Yong-hee more chances? Is it because he is a Chinese player?
"Pioneers deceived 2.8 million Chinese! This sentence went viral on the Internet and expressed the hearts of countless fans. Indeed, if the Trail Blazers selected Choi Yong-hee just to attract attention and brush traffic, but did not give him a real chance, it would be too disrespectful to the fans.
There is only one game left until the end of the Summer League. If the Trail Blazers can't give Choi more playing time in the next game, I'm afraid their image in the Chinese market will completely collapse. After all, the enthusiasm of the fans is not meant to be disappointed.
This turmoil is reminiscent of Yao Ming's situation when he first entered the NBA 20 years ago. At the time, many people also questioned whether Yao Ming could adapt to the pace and intensity of the NBA game. But Yao Ming proved himself with his own strength and eventually became one of the iconic stars of the NBA.
History is always strikingly similar. What happened to Cui Yongxi today seems to be a repetition of Yao Ming's experience back then. But we hope that this time it will end differently. After all, the NBA is not the NBA of 20 years ago, and the attitude towards international players should be more open and inclusive.
Let's hope that in the next match, Choi Yong-hee can get more playing time and show his strength. At the same time, I also hope that NBA teams can truly value and respect players from all over the world and give them fair opportunities. Only in this way can the NBA truly become an international basketball league, rather than a "foolish league" that only cares about its own interests.