When the NBA and it’s players failed to agree on a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), and thus, put an end to And a few days ago, the Suns’ Aaron Brooks became the latest to accept a contract with the Chinese team, signing with the Southern Tigers. Chinese teams have been showing interest in bringing over Shane Battier, too.
And of course, there was a major push a few months ago for Kobe Bryant – it didn’t resolve to anything back, but since the NBA’s status has gone from bad to worse, I’m sure that even the Mamba would be thinking about expanding his horizons. Kobe would definitely become the biggest basketball name in country, and perhaps the best NBA player to ever play in an overseas league. But Chinese fans shouldn’t get too carried away about that, yet, as he has a lot more international options and offers to choose from.
The NBA, our favourite league, is unfortunately slipping. Who knows when, and if, there will be a settlement between the two sides, especially now that they’re going to court. But the NBA’s loss has become the CBA’s gain. And while the world’s best basketball league in the world’s strongest economy squabbles and shuts down over money matters, the second-strongest economy in the East seems to be becoming a brighter option for the basketball starved players.