Live broadcast on October 9 -20 years ago today, on October 9, 2002, the Chinese Basketball Association officially issued a statement to expel Wang Zhizhi, who left the team during the men’s basketball world championships and the Asian Games, from the national team.
The original text of the Basketball Association’s statement at that time is as follows:
On May this year, after Wang Zhizhi, the former Chinese men’s basketball player, ended the NBA game in the United States, he should obey the needs of the Chinese national team to return to China for training and participate in international competitions according to the agreement signed by the Chinese Basketball Union and Mavericks. After receiving the notice from the Chinese Basketball Association asking him to return to China for training and participate in the world men’s basketball championships and Asian Games, Wang Zhizhi insisted on staying in the United States for training and participating in the summer league of the United States, and make the national team unable to contact it. After the end of the US summer league, the country men’s basketball sent a special person to the United States to contact Wang Zhizhi. Wang refused to meet and asked him to bring a letter to show that he could only develop in NBA and was unwilling to return home.
In the five-month period, Wang Zhizhi, the mother Team of the Chinese Basketball Union and Wang Zhizhi, did his job to the utmost, hoping that he could change this wrong choice. In order to eliminate its unnecessary concerns and support him to continue to play in NBA after returning to China to participate in international competitions, the Chinese Basketball Association made an open commitment in this regard, at the same time, Wang Zhizhi made necessary preparations for representing China to participate in the world championships and the Asian Games. However, Wang Zhizhi insisted that he only attached importance to personal interests, ignored professional ethics, organizational discipline and national interests, and made the wrong choice of not returning home to represent the country in international competitions.
Wang Zhizhi entered the sports school from childhood, entered the Bayi team at the age of 14 and entered the national team at the age of 18. Without the cultivation of the motherland and the help of the collective, there would be no Wang Zhizhi today. Participating in international competitions and winning honor for our country are the glory and responsibility of every athlete. When the motherland needs it, he ignores the national interests and is unwilling to serve the country.
In view of Wang Zhizhi’s lack of basic professional ethics and patriotism, he has lost his qualification as a member of the national team. After research, he decided to expel Wang Zhizhi from China men’s national basketball team.
China Basketball Association October 9th, 2002