When it comes to basketball the United States is the first country people think of and that’s for good reason. They, after all, invented the sport and continue to dominate it today with the world’s leading league, the NBA. Also, most of the biggest basketball stars have come from America, such as Lebron James, Steph Curry, and of course the greatest of all-time, Michael Jordan.
Some people though, might be surprised to learn that basketball is growing in acclaim in Asia by the day. With the relative ease of watching videos and games on the internet, the NBA can now be streamed to people’s phones, giving anyone with a device easy access to the highest level of basketball. In fact in the Philippines, basketball is now even the country’s number one sport. Plus, here in India, as we at Sportz Wiki reported, the NBA has helped set up basketball schools that will help take the sport in the country to the next level.
So here then is a quick rundown of the players from Asia that have had the biggest impact on the high-flying sport and left their mark on the court.
Yao Ming
Easily the most famous Asian basketball player to ever step on the court is the towering Yao Ming. Nicknamed the ‘Ming Dynasty’ by supporters, the 7ft6in Chinese mega-star first got drafted by the Houston Rockets back in 2002. He was gifted the major achievement of being picked first in the draft overall.
Ming lived up to his hype and was an incredibly popular player with both his teammates and with the crowds who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him in action. This led to him being voted into the NBA All-Star team an immense eight times and named in the All-NBA Team an impressive five times.
The giant from Shanghai was unfortunately forced to retire in 2011 due to persistent back problems. Yet, he didn’t let his retirement from basketball slow him down, as is reported on Distractify, he is now a highly successful businessman.
Hamed Haddadi
Hamed Haddadi is still playing basketball today in the Chinese Basketball Association for the Sichuan Blue Whales. This mountainous centre, who stands an intimidating 7ft2in tall and has great aerial reach, did manage to make a small splash in the NBA back in 2008. In fact, he was the first Iranian to ever play at the summit of the basketball world. Haddadi managed to even turn out for the Memphis Grizzlies in thirteen play-off games before making the move to China in 2013.
His old team, the Grizzlies, are struggling for a play-off place this end season, and perhaps if Haddadi was back on the team they’d be better rated than +15000 for the NBA Championship, as they are with most online betting sites. If you did want to take a punt on where the NBA Championship will finally end up this season, then it’s always reassuring to know that the site you choose is a safe and secure one. Over at SBO.net they’ve compiled a team of experts that have put together a list of the most trustworthy U.S. betting sites. They also have a range of sign-up offers available, so you know you’re getting more bang for your buck.
Satnam Singh Bhamara
Next up, we have our very own Indian entry, Satnam Singh Bhamara. The player was born in Baloke in the state of Punjab, and even at the young age of nine-years-old stood taller than most of the adults in the village. His father introduced him to basketball and he developed a real love of the game whilst he continued to grow at a remarkable rate.
As an adult, Singh grew to a staggering 7ft2in tall and as his talent for basketball grew with him, he was rewarded with a scholarship to play at an American high-school in Florida. He continued to impress and finally found himself the first Indian to be drafted into the NBA in 2015, when he was picked 53rd overall, by the Dallas Mavericks.
Even though it’s fair to say that Singh didn’t have the glitziest of careers in the NBA, as the player struggled to get on the court, it’s a remarkable achievement for the boy from Baloke to fly to the top of professional basketball. Here’s hoping many more follow in his huge footsteps.