Thu Jun 26 02:00:00 UTC 2025: **NEWS ARTICLE:**

**Yao Ming: Asia Needs Stronger Competition to Close Basketball Gap**

**SINGAPORE** – Asia continues to struggle to make its mark in international basketball, failing to send teams to the knockout stages of the 2023 World Cup and 2024 Paris Olympics men’s tournaments. With only a handful of Asian players in the NBA compared to other continents, the region faces an uphill battle to compete with basketball powerhouses like the United States and European nations.

Speaking in Singapore at the NBA Rising Stars Invitational opening ceremony, former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming emphasized the need for greater competition within Asia to bridge the gap. “The only way to improve is through better competition,” Yao stated, highlighting the importance of players identifying their strengths and weaknesses through challenging matchups. He believes that “better competition will help them find out their own weaknesses and strengths, and then we need a coach and teammates to help fix it and go to the next level.”

Yao, who served as the China Basketball Association president from 2017 to 2024, noted the significance of international engagement. He emphasized that “For Asia, we need to interact and connect more with the rest of the world. With comparison, we can then see what we can and cannot do and figure out what we hope to achieve in the future.”

Despite the challenges, Yao expressed optimism regarding the progress of Asian basketball. He pointed to Japan’s Olympic qualification, the rise of South Korea’s three-point shooting prowess, and the emergence of Chinese prospects like 19-year-old center Yang Hansen, who is expected to be drafted into the NBA in 2025. Yao believes that tournaments like the NBA Rising Stars Invitational, which featured teams from Singapore and Malaysia, can contribute to raising the standards of youth basketball in the region.

“There’s only one way to find out who are the better players, which is through games, and the better players only come out by playing other good players,” Yao added, drawing parallels to his own experiences in youth basketball. He hopes the current generation of players will seize their opportunities and enjoy their journeys, just as he did.

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