Before the era of center forwards represented by Yao Ming, the Chinese men's basketball team was once known for its "small, fast and smart" in the world basketball world. Among them, Hu Weidong, the "Chinese Jordan" in the mouth of old fans, is the representative figure of "Ling".
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="32" > the 94 World Championships Split Dream Team, making history</h1>
At the 1994 World Championships in Toronto, the Chinese team reached the quarterfinals for the first time and achieved a historic breakthrough. Subsequently, the Chinese men's basketball team led by the old coach Jiang Xingquan was called the "94 Golden Generation"!
In this team that has made history, Hu Weidong, who is only 24 years old, has become a leading figure. Hu Weidong averaged 15.1 points per game in that tournament, the highest for the team. In the opening game of the group against Brazil, he came off the bench and scored a team-high 27 points in 29 minutes of playing time, which contributed to the team's victory.
Because of his brilliant performance against Brazil, Hu Weidong attracted the attention of TNT. Before the match against the United States, TNT commentators directly regarded him as the number one star of the Chinese team. In the match against the United States, Hu Weidong did not shy away from the stage, and a split in a quick attack directly detonated the comments table, and the commentators at TNT exclaimed: "I know he can do this" (I know he can do it).
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="36" > highly myopic three-point marksman</h1>
Before becoming famous in the 1994 World Championships, Hu Weidong joined the Jiangsu youth team at the age of 15, which is definitely not top level in terms of talent.
"I have 400-degree myopia, 300-degree astigmatism, shots and the baskets are ghosted."
Behind the understated answer is Hu Weidong's almost cruel training for himself.
In order to reduce the impact of myopia on his own shooting, Hu Weidong will practice shooting every time the team's training is completed. In an interview, he revealed a detail: "After each exercise, I can't lift my right hand, and I can only eat with my left hand." ”
Basketball doesn't lie, and training isn't in vain. In the qualifying round of the 1994 World Championships, the Chinese team met the European powerhouse Croatia. Hu Weidong won the respect of his opponents with 9 three-pointers in a single game, especially the respect of Croatia's number one star, Kukoc. In a post-game interview, he said bluntly: "I have trained my three-point shooting into muscle memory. ”
There is also a small story about Hu Weidong's shooting: When Chris Anderson joined jiangsu, the player who later won the NBA championship with the Heat thought that he was talented, and it was common to be lazy in training. Hu Weidong made a bet with him that if he could shoot the ball into the basket from the bench seat, he would have to obey. With an over-long shot hollowed out into the basket, Anderson had to be obedient in the training that followed.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="43" > to Kobe Bryant, almost becoming the first person in the NBA</h1>
Although the 1994 World Championships were in Toronto, Hu Weidong's highlight performance has begun to attract the attention of the American media. Two years later, he was invited to an NBA summer camp at the time. In a warm-up game, facing Kobe Bryant, who was still a high school student at the time, Hu Weidong did not make a mistake, and even fought against the fledgling Kobe Bryant.
In the end, Bryant scored 25 points, while Hu Weidong contributed 30 points in a single game. Then he prepared to stay in the United States to participate in that year's NBA draft, fans familiar with the NBA know that the NBA draft in 96 emerged a number of NBA superstars, Kobe, Iverson, Nash, Ray Allen... However, in the end, Hu Weidong received a call for the national team, returned to China to prepare for the Olympic Games, and gave up the draft.
This is not the closest Hu Weidong to the NBA, in 1998, the Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic each sent Hu Weidong a short 10-day contract, as long as he went to the appointment, he would become the first Chinese to land in the NBA. However, in the end, due to injury, Hu Weidong regrettably missed the opportunity to make history.
Seven years later, the Mavericks visited China, and the then Mavericks coach Nelson Sr. presented him with the Mavericks' No. 8 jersey, which also made up for Hu Weidong's NBA regrets.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="48" > personal honor dominates the domestic basketball world, but it is difficult to win a championship</h1>
In addition to injuries in 1998, there was another important reason that hindered Hu Weidong's NBA trip, and his parent team, the Jiangsu men's basketball team, was almost relegated that year.
When Hu Weidong first joined the Jiangsu men's basketball team, he remembered a sentence from his father:
"After you become famous, there will be a lot of teams to dig you up. But you have to remember that it is Jiangsu who has cultivated you, and never leave the Jiangsu team. ”
Judging from Hu Weidong's career trajectory after that, he did it.
Few fans will remember that Hu Weidong was the first CBA Most Valuable Player and won 2 consecutive times. In the early CBA, when foreign aid was not dominant, Hu Weidong almost single-handedly carried the Jiangsu team forward. After the rise of young talents such as Zhang Cheng, Hu Xuefeng and Tang Zhengdong, he finally led Jiangsu to the CBA Finals in the 04-05 season. But in the end, Hu Weidong became the background board for Guangdong's championship.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="54" > transformation coach and focus on youth training</h1>
As early as the 04-05 season, Hu Weidong led the Jiangsu team as a coach and player. At that time, he played more of a firefighter role, and even in a game against Shanxi, due to the sluggish performance of the players, he directly replaced himself on the field and scored 55 points. This experience has also been praised by fans.
After that, Hu Weidong scored four in and four out of the position of coach of jiangsu team, and also served as the head coach of the NBDL Anhui Wenyi team. At present, Hu Weidong has turned his energy to the cultivation of young players, and in a recent interview, he said: "The recent success of the Liaoning team is the embodiment of youth training. ”
Chinese basketball wants to rise again in the post-Yao Ming era, and some people believe that youth training is a problem that must be solved. The 94 golden generation led by Hu Weidong has begun to turn its energy to the field of youth training, which should be good news for Chinese basketball.
In 1996, after witnessing Hu Weidong's stunning performance at the Olympic Games, Xinhua News Agency's American journalist Judy was attracted by his confident, flowing and agile style of play, and called him "China Jordan" in the report, and this nickname is still used by fans to this day.
Fans are also looking forward to it: Hu Weidong, who focuses on youth training, can cultivate the next "Chinese Jordan" in the near future and contribute to the rise of Chinese basketball.