Topic: China

March 28, 2013

The Lost Generals: Fear, Loathing and Chucking in the Middle Kingdom

Andrew Crawford

Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas were expected to change Chinese basketball, and both came to the Middle Kingdom with visions of both on-court stardom and off-the-floor mogulhood. They were both good enough to score tons of points, when healthy, but life on China's basketball frontier wasn't easy for either, for reasons both similar and different. Part two of two.

March 27, 2013

The Lost Generals: T-Mac and Agent Zero in China

Andrew Crawford

Former NBA All-Stars had gone to China before Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas made the trip this year. For a variety of reasons, the arrival of these two was supposed to be different. It didn't quite work out that way.

November 12, 2012

McGrady Goes To China

Andrew Crawford

The Tracy McGrady who received a hero's welcome at China's Qingdao Liuting Airport was not the player that has slipped into itinerant bench-player status in the NBA over the last few seasons. He wasn't the superstar who lit up the league in the early part of the last decade, either, of course. This T-Mac was something altogether different: a different type of star in a different type of basketball culture, and possibly China's next great basketball mogul.

August 29, 2012

3rd and Long (Ding)

Andrew Crawford

As debates rage about its place in the culture of its homeland, a fledgling, self-sufficient American football culture is developing in the cities of China. Although they have limited resources and even more limited access to teaching tools for the game, that hasn't stopped teams from springing up in Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Duhui and Hong Kong. The only question left is: who is going to be the one to bring Chinese football to the big time? 

February 22, 2012

The Chinese Basketball Association All-Star Game Looks Great

David Roth

For all the grumping about the need to "fix" the NBA All-Star Game, it will at least not match the playing-on-rollerskates goof-show that is the Chinese Basketball Association All-Star game. Whether that's a good or bad thing is up to you.

February 10, 2012

What Now, J. R. Smith?

Bethlehem Shoals

J. R. Smith is this close to being done in China, which means the NBA's great sower of chaos will soon be back in America. More importantly, he's a free agent, available to the highest bidder—or, if he so chooses, to follow a less conventional career path. 

February 3, 2012

What Dwight Howard Refuses to Say

Bethlehem Shoals

When asked to help with a simple English lesson, the Magic big man insists on using the proper slang.