by Jason Cruz
Northwest Asia Weekly
Welcome to another episode of layup drills. This month, we take a look at the start of a new Asian professional basketball league driven by an NBA star, the rise of a Chinese tennis star, and a golfer’s surprising diagnosis.
Green appointed ambassador for East Asian Super League
Houston Rockets guard Jaylen Green in NBA basketball game against Minnesota Timberwolves
April 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Eric Christian)
After a successful rookie season in the NBA with the Houston Rockets, Jaylen Green announced that he will be working with the newly formed East Asian Premier League as an ambassador for the emerging league. Green joins former NBA stars Baron Davis, Mercy Shiping and Sean Battier.
The East Asian Premier League is an 8-team pan-regional league that will kick off this fall and will feature the champions and runners-up from the Japanese, Korean and Philippine leagues, as well as the Taiwanese champions and Bay Area Dragons, with a roster of players from the Greater China region , headquartered in Manila.
Green, whose mother is Filipino, became the most drafted Asian-American player in the NBA when the Rockets selected him with the second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft.
Green was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team last season. Similar to the craze Jordan Clarkson gained when he entered the NBA, Green is adored by many Filipino fans. Green first realized this when he represented the U.S. junior national team in a tournament in Manila in 2019.
“I want to be an inspiration for the next generation of basketball players in Asia and elevate the game in the region,” Green told NBC Sports. “I think the East Asian Super League is the gateway to the NBA for Asian players.”
Green will appear in the new league’s marketing and make appearances to promote products on its behalf.
Pro golfer Kang resolute due to tumor on spine
Danielle Kang during the final round of the U.S. Women’s Open on June 5, 2022. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Golf pro Danielle Kang, 29, was diagnosed with a spinal tumor last month. Despite the diagnosis, the Las Vegas resident played in the U.S. Women’s Open in early June.
“I’m not afraid of the outcome,” Kang told ESPN of the diagnosis, “I’m more afraid of not being able to play.” Kang changed her pregame routine to prepare for 18 holes due to her back problem. This includes doing more practice to “activate her back” before golfing. After 18 holes, she and her physical therapist do more exercise to take care of her back. She admits the pain was unbearable while playing golf. At this point, she was unclear about the diagnosis of the tumor, including whether she needed surgery to remove it.
Kang, who won the 2017 Women’s PGA Championship, said she was disappointed with her results even though her team and family told her not to worry about her position.
Kang was born to Korean parents. Before turning pro in 2011, she played golf at Pepperdine University for two years. She joined the Ladies PGA Tour in 2012. Her brother Alex also plays golf at San Diego State University.
New Chinese tennis star emerges but can’t go home
China’s Zheng Qinwen at the Miami Open on March 22, 2022. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Zheng “Anna” Qin Wen could be the next women’s tennis superstar from China. The 19-year-old’s powerful forehand made her debut at this year’s French Open, beating world No. 20 Simone Halep.
Known as Anna by her western friends due to the success of women’s tennis star Li Na, Qin Wen has been attracted to tennis since childhood. That was the first Grand Slam singles champion and one of the highest-paid female athletes on the tour. It is because of Nana’s success and popularity that the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) decided to hold more events and promote the sport in China.
However, the WTA has suspended all events in China after another successful Chinese female player, Peng Shuai, accused a Chinese official of sexual assault. Peng was scrutinized by Chinese officials and mysteriously disappeared from public view for weeks before she resurfaced, saying her allegations were misunderstood. Although the issue has not been discussed publicly for months, the WTA still prohibits any events from being held in China.
Additionally, they were unable to speak to Peng directly and believe her influence changed her story.
As a result, Qin Wen could not play football in front of his motherland because of the ban. She trains in Spain, far from home. Qin Wen was born in Shiyan, a city in central China. Her parents encouraged her to choose a sport at an early age. Tennis became the sport, and her father sent her to train in Wuhan, a city about 250 miles from her home, when she was 8 years old. The hard work of leaving her family paid off as she was spotted by IMG Academy at an event in Bradenton, Florida and signed at age 11. She was then sent to Beijing for training at the academy.
Due to the current WTA ban, Qin Wen’s game is still evolving and most of her training is done away from her family.
Jason is available at info@nwasianweekly.com.
