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The Next Big Thing

Wang Zhizhi. File photo

By AJ Hayes

If there was any doubt that Wang Zhizhi, the NBA’s first Chinese player, was having any difficulty adjusting to life in America — all one had to do was catch a glimpse of Zhizhi in the Dallas Mavericks locker room after a recent win over the Golden State Warriors.

With a can of Coke in one hand and a TV remote in the other, the 24-year-old Zhizhi — all 7-foot-1, 220 pounds of him — was kicking back and watching a college football game.

The only thing missing from this Norman Rockwell-esque scene was a big slice of apple pie.

Zhizhi made NBA history last season when he signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks to become the first athlete from China to play in the league.

Zhizhi was a hot commodity. He’s a two-time Olympian (1996 and 2000) with the Chinese National Team, and he’s starred in the Chinese professional ranks for five seasons — where he averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds a game. Last season, Zhizhi led his Chinese pro team to their sixth straight championship and captured the slam-dunk competition.

In an abbreviated stint with Dallas last season — just 10 games — Zhizhi averaged 7.8 minutes and two points per contest. He had a career-high 13 points and 3 rebounds vs. Minnesota April 18. Though Zhizhi has yet to be activated this season — he’s working himself back into NBA shape after missing Dallas’ training camp due to commitments with the Chinese national squad — Zhizhi is raring to go up against the NBA’s best.

Zhizhi, who drives a Lincoln Navigator, listens to Britney Spears and fills up on chocolate ice cream and Texas-sized steaks every chance he gets — likes living in America.

“For daily life, I feel comfortable,” said the soft-spoken Zhizhi through an interpreter. “But what I really have to get used to is to the way to play the NBA game. The NBA is a very fast and very tough game.”

But according to some players who went up against Zhizhi last season — the big center is well on his way to carving out a career amongst the other NBA giants.

Dallas veteran forward Danny Manning was a member of the Phoenix Suns last season when he first ran into Zhizhi on the hardwood. Manning, the first pick of the 1988 NBA draft, was impressed with Zhizhi’s quickness and nimble footwork.

“He’s a very talented big guy. He can do a lot of things: he can shoot the ball, put it on the floor and he uses his body well,” Manning said. “The learning curve has really accelerated for him.”

Zhizhi is arguably the biggest (no pun intended) sports celebrity in mainland China. So one might think that more than a few of his fans were left weepy when he took off for Texas.

Not so Zhizhi says.

“I think they all support me to play in the NBA because it is going to give me a better chance to develop my skills and become a better basketball player,” Zhizhi said. “Among the Asian countries, the Chinese team is pretty good. But globally we still have a lot of catching-up to do to become a key force.”

For Dallas assistant coach Donn Nelson, who personally scouted and signed Zhizhi, the pursuit of the player was a no-brainer. Nelson saw what damage Zhizhi could do up close and personal during the 1996 Olympic games. Nelson served as the Lithuania team’s basketball coach that year. Nelson was immediately struck by the big man’s shooting skills.

“Distance shooting is such a valuable commodity in our league and he can do that in his sleep,” Nelson said. “Part of that is natural — both his parents were basketball players — but it also has to do a lot with the way they practice in China. Twenty-five to 50 percent of their practice time is devoted to shooting the ball.”

But don’t expect Zhizhi to dominate quite yet. Nelson says he’s still a work in progress.

“Wang is still growing as a player — maybe not in height — but in physical stature. He’s hit the weights and his body is becoming stronger and firmer. His defense overall has gotten a lot better, but he still needs to work on his rebounding. The language barrier is also a thing he’s got to work through. He spoke no English when he got here and now he speaks choppy English,” Nelson said.

The Dallas team is actually about as multi-cultured as it gets in the NBA. The club’s best player, 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki, is a German import. Other Mavericks hail from Mexico, Argentina and Canada.

Nowitzki, too, faced language and cultural hurdles when he joined Dallas three seasons ago, and he struggled much of his rookie year on the court. Nowitzki, now an All-Star, expects Zhizhi will also experience the same types of growing pains.

“But he’s going to have a great future — he’s confident and not afraid to shoot the ball — it’s just a matter of getting adjusted to the style of play in the NBA, learning the plays and how to move in the NBA,” Nowitzki said. “He doesn’t speak the language. I was at least able to communicate a little bit. But I think he’ll learn English soon.”

Dallas team owner Mark Cuban has encouraged his scouts to think global. Cuban likes the melting pot atmosphere of the Dallas locker room.

“You learn so much from all the different cultures, to see the guys interact is pretty cool. The Dallas fans absolutely love Wang. If he turns into an MVP candidate he could make the same impact on basketball as Ichiro did on baseball,” Cuban said.

While Zhizhi is adjusting well to American life, he admits there are a few things he’s homesick for — namely his parents and a good home cooked meal.

“The American food here is perfect,” Wang says. “But the Chinese food is just OK.”