|
THE Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) broke
silence on Wang Zhizhi’s status with the national team and
asked the center to join his teammates as soon as possible.“We
expected Wang Zhizhi to contact the CBA as soon as possible
and make the right choice,” a senior CBA official said in an
interview with China Sports Daily published yesterday.The
report did not give the name of the official but named him as
a “chief official of the CBA.”China Sports Daily also
published a letter sent from the CBA to Wang Zhizhi in late
July, in which the CBA promised not to punish Wang for his
delay in returning to national duties.“If only you return from
abroad to train and play with the national team, the CBA and
the Bayi Rockets will not make any punishment to you,”
“We have already put you on the national squad lists for
the World Championship and the Asian Games, please give up
your unnecessary worries.”Wang Zhizhi was not included in the
recent published 12-member squad for the World Championships,
which will be held in Indianapolis, U.S., Aug. 29-Sept. 8, but
was listed as one of the two substitutes.Wang, the NBA’s first
Chinese player, played his first full season in the NBA with
the Dallas Mavericks last season and threw himself into the
center of rumors by staying in the U.S. to train alone after
the season ended in late April.According to the CBA, Wang did
ask them for permission to train alone in the U.S. and play in
the NBA summer league. CBA responded by asking him to return
from abroad first and discuss the other issues later.Wang did
not give positive answer and the CBA was able to contact him
only indirectly through a third person.The CBA reinforced that
Wang Zhizhi’s NBA future would not be affected by the issue
and was looking forward to seeing him change his mind.“We
support Wang to play in the NBA, but he should return to China
to train and play with the national team first,” the CBA said
in a letter to the NBA commissioner David Stern on Wang’s
national duties.(SD-Xinhua)
|
