By Jason Cruz
Northwest Asia Weekly
Welcome to another edition of Layup Training. This time, let’s take a look at a milestone moment for Filipino fans in the NBA. The next great Asian basketball star made an interesting move, and Nathan Chen is back on track.
The next Yao Ming?
Fanbo Zeng
Zeng Fanbo is a 6’11” Chinese basketball NBA star, signed with G League Ignite.
Previously, he had been arranged to play NCAA basketball with Gonzaga. However, he turned down Zags in order to play for Ignite, hoping to enter the NBA.
G League Ignite was created for elite players who may not be ready to participate in the league but do not want to return to school.
One of the benefits of G League Ignite is that he used to be a professional player, played in the league and used the increased marketing opportunities to get paid.
This includes a potential monster shoe deal, partly because more and more Chinese fans see him as the next Yao Ming.
Studied at Windermere Preparatory outside Orlando, Florida, where he was a hot top recruit, then flew back to China in March 2020 when the school was closed due to the pandemic.
He grew up in a city in Northeast China as the son of two former professional basketball players. At the age of 11, he moved to Beijing to train in a youth club. Three years later, he was selected to enter the American Basketball Academy. The organization is located in a small town 47 miles east of Eugene, Oregon, and teaches English and basketball to Asian-born players. A year later, he was instructed to attend the Windermere Preparatory Course, which can accommodate 100 Chinese boarding students.
After a year of adapting to school and American life, Mr. Zeng became one of the top high school basketball players in Florida. However, due to the pandemic, I completed high school online at my home in China. Despite his lack of basketball and being in the United States, he won a scholarship from Gonzaga. However, when the assistant coach who had been recruited to Gonzaga resigned for another job, he reconsidered his commitment to playing college basketball.
Philippine night of the Rockets game brings milestones
The Houston Rockets hosted the Philippine Heritage Night in their recent game against the Jazz.
The significance of this matchup is that it is the first time in NBA history that two Filipino players will face each other on the court. Rockets rookie Jalen Green and Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson are both of Filipino descent. Green’s mother and grandfather are Filipinos, while Clarkson’s mother is from the Philippines.
The Rockets distributed T-shirts with Green’s No. 0 to the fans. At only 19 years old, Green was the second overall pick in the NBA draft last summer. Clarkson has a strong following in the Philippines, and he hinted that he wants to play for the Philippines team in the Olympics.
“Filipino fans have been supporting me since my sophomore year [in high school],” Green said. Coincidentally, the first time he went to the Philippines was in the second year of high school.
“I have a lot of fans there. They always show me a lot of love, which means a lot.”
Clarkson added: “This is the first time this has happened, and it’s very cool. This is a stepping stone and inspiration for young Filipino Americans.”
Chen Bounce
Nathan Chen of the United States performs his men’s free event at the Canadian Skateboard Figure Skating Competition in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Saturday, October 30, 2021. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian News Agency via Associated Press)
A week after finishing third in the American figure skating competition, three-time world champion and Olympian Chen Naisen won first place in the Canadian skating competition in Vancouver, British Columbia. Chen’s third place is the first time he has not won the first place in 14 consecutive games.
Even without his coach, Chen was able to return to his way of winning, he was forced to watch from the crowd after inadvertently violating the COVID-19 agreement during the game.
Chen performed well in the American skating team as he trailed behind fellow American Vincent Zhou from San Jose, California and Shoma Uno of Japan.
With the approaching of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February this year, it is expected that Mr. Chen will become a strong competitor in men’s figure skating.
Jason can be at info@nwasianweekly.com.
