AN extraordinary triumph came on a festive Sunday night in Seoul, as Team China beat South Korea 92-81 in the preliminaries of the 2019 FIBA World Cup on Christmas Eve.

Nearly half of the guest team’s starters were absent from the game, including Houston Rockets’ center Zhou Qi. But youngster Sun Minghui scored 21 points and achieved three rebounds and four assists, while Abdusalam contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three assists to secure the victory for China.

Yet, only one year earlier it would have been just about impossible for Abdusalam and Sun to wear the national team jersey.

“I thought it was fake news when they told me I was in the national team,” said Abdusalam.

But the dual national team system created by Yao Ming offered them a chance to train with China’s best players.

The entirely new system has two teams led by two coaches — Du Feng and Li Nan — playing in different international competitions before they merged into one in 2019 to prepare for the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China and the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

And this is just one of the bold policies adopted by the newly elected Chinese Basketball Association president, a man who needs no introduction, Yao Ming.

Though he put on the orange Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame jacket in 2016, 2017 was an even more remarkable year for Yao. After an unanimous vote in February, he became the first-ever non-governmental personage to take the presidency of the CBA. In July, he was elected as the chairman of the board of the CBA company that owns China’s top basketball league. His Hall of Fame glory, as it turns out, was just a new start to his career, as Yao became a spearhead for China’s basketball regeneration effort.

As part of a bigger reform, triggered in China’s sports system, professionals like Yao and women’s volleyball coach Lang Ping began to play important roles in sports associations.

Take basketball as an example, where the reform saw the tasks of an administrative center of basketball, a sub-division of the State General Administration of Sports, transferred to the CBA, which means the association will take on full responsibility for governing the sport in China. When the transition is completed, the association will be responsible for the management of national teams, leagues, youth development as well as the development of basketball in society.

“This is a great step on the road to reforming Chinese basketball. Meanwhile, we must realize that we still have a long way to go,” said Yao.

As for the national teams, the long road started with a small but significant change, as every potential national team member now receives an invitation letter rather than a compulsory notification. They can choose whether to join the team immediately or stick to a personal schedule, such as playing in the NBA summer league or getting married. This change reflects an environment where talented players like Ding Yanyuhang and Zhou Qi have a better chance to dream big. Neither Yao nor Wang Zhizhi (Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers, Miami Heat) enjoyed this kind of privilege in their careers.

Just as he played for Houston Rockets, Yao was literally everywhere in the CBA. He would show up at a CBA press conference in Beijing in the morning, talking with China’s basketball journalists in the afternoon, before going to a state banquet in the evening focused on building international cooperation. The following day he would then attend a summit in Shanghai to answer questions.

His personal life is not the only thing Yao has given up, he also sold his share of CBA’s Shanghai Sharks, the team he played for before he went to the NBA in 2002.

A five-year reform plan

The CBA league is by far one of the best parts of sports IP and the biggest attraction in the market of basketball in China. After Yao took charge, the league started a five-year plan of reform. There will be 10 playoff teams instead of the previous eight, and the number will increase to 12 in 2018-19 season. The regular season will grow from 38 rounds to 56 rounds within five years.

Yao’s reform of the league also includes the design of a NBDL-like development league to provide more opportunities for young players. More fundamental work is being carried out, like professional training of the judges, the CBA draft and fitness tests.

“Investment isn’t everything in the sports industry; and gold medals aren’t everything for a strong sporting country,” Yao said at the annual session of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top political advisory body.

China has already built more than 600,000 basketball courts, showing that the country realizes that a sole focus on professional games or national teams would not be enough. Yao said that competitive sports, mass sports, the sport industry and sports culture must all advance shoulder to shoulder.

Yao and the CBA are now promoting basketball to people of all walks of life, including children.

“Only by keeping our feet on the ground of history can we look up at the starlit sky,” said Yao when he visited China’s first basketball stadium in Tianjin.

China’s Basketball Hall of Fame will be built in 2019 as a testament to this sport’s importance in China. Yao advised that the authorities of education and sports should join hands to build bridges for young players as this kind of cooperation will boost mass sports.

One example can be seen in Fuzhou, Fujian Province, where 100 schools featuring basketball training will be built as part of the program.

More than once, Yao has stressed the potential of 3-on-3 basketball as a way to develop this newest member of the Olympic family. He took part in a wheelchair shooting contest to draw attention to basketball for people with disabilities. Meanwhile, a new plan of children’s basketball designed for kids under 12 years old has been launched.

According to Yao, basketball is a way of life, a method to educate people and a way of strengthening society. It strengthens people in body and mind. By allowing more and more children to get involved in basketball, Yao is trying to lay a solid foundation for the sport’s future in China.