BASKETBALL PLAYERS from China

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Chinese Basketball Players of all time. This list of famous Chinese Basketball Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Chinese Basketball Players.

1. Yao Ming (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 53.51, Yao Ming is the most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 58 different languages on wikipedia.

Yao Ming (Chinese: 姚明; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Yao was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. During his final season, he was the tallest active player in the NBA, at 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m). Yao, who was born in Shanghai, started playing for the Sharks as a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the CBA, winning a championship in his final year. After negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, Yao was selected by the Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He reached the NBA playoffs four times, and the Rockets won the first-round series in the 2009 postseason, their first playoff series victory since 1997. In July 2011, Yao announced his retirement from professional basketball because of a series of foot and ankle injuries which forced him to miss 250 games in his last six seasons. In eight seasons with the Rockets, Yao ranks sixth among franchise leaders in total points and total rebounds, and second in total blocks. Yao is one of China's best-known athletes internationally, with sponsorships with several major companies. His rookie year in the NBA was the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao, and he co-wrote, along with NBA analyst Ric Bucher, an autobiography titled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds. Known in China as the "Yao Ming Phenomenon" and in the United States as the "Ming Dynasty", Yao's success in the NBA, and his popularity among fans, made him a symbol of a new China that was both more modern and more confident. Yao is also an entrepreneur and owner of Yao Family Wines in Napa Valley, California. In April 2016, Yao was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson, becoming the first Chinese national to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. In February 2017, Yao was unanimously elected as chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association. Yao had a storied career as a member of the Chinese national team. With the national team, Yao won the FIBA Asia Cup in 2001, 2003, and 2005, winning MVP of the tournament all three times. He also made the All-Tournament Team at the FIBA World Cup in 2002. Yao retired from the Chinese national team after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

2. Yi Jianlian (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 36.57, Yi Jianlian is the 2nd most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Yi Jianlian (Chinese: 易建联; pinyin: Yì Jiànlián [î tɕjɛ̂nljɛ̌n]; born October 27, 1984) is a Chinese former professional basketball player who last played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He also played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks, the New Jersey Nets, the Washington Wizards, and the Dallas Mavericks. Yi joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers for the 2002–03 CBA season, and subsequently won the CBA Rookie of the Year award. In his first five years with Guangdong, the team won three CBA titles. In the 2007 NBA draft, he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth overall pick. Initially, Yi declined to sign with Milwaukee for several months before agreeing to a contract with them in August 2007. He later played for three other NBA teams until returning to the Guangdong Southern Tigers in 2012. Yi also played for the Chinese national team, having represented his country at the Olympics in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, as well as the 2006 and 2010 FIBA World Championships. Yi played in the 2004 Olympics.

3. Wang Zhizhi (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 36.06, Wang Zhizhi is the 3rd most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Wang Zhizhi (Chinese: 王治郅; pinyin: Wáng Zhìzhì, pronounced [uǎŋ ʈʂɻ̩̂ʈʂɻ̩̂]; born 8 July 1977) is a Chinese former professional basketball player who was the head coach of the Bayi Rockets, the team with which he spent his domestic career in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He also played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers, and Miami Heat, becoming China's first player to compete in the NBA.

4. Mengke Bateer (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 35.53, Mengke Bateer is the 4th most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Mengke Bateer (simplified Chinese: 孟克巴特尔; traditional Chinese: 孟克巴特爾; pinyin: Mèngkè Bātè'ěr, pronounced [mə̂ŋkʰɤ̂ pátʰɤ̂àɚ]; born November 20, 1975) or Mönkhbaatar, commonly referred to simply as Bateer in China, is a former Mongolian-Chinese professional basketball player. As a center, he played parts of three seasons in the NBA, winning the NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003; Bateer is one of two players born in China to win an NBA championship, the other being shooting guard/small forward Sun Yue, who won the 2009 NBA Finals with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bateer spent the majority of his career competing in the Chinese Basketball Association for the Beijing Ducks and Xinjiang Flying Tigers before ending his career with the Sichuan Blue Whales in the lesser National Basketball League.

5. Zheng Haixia (b. 1967)

With an HPI of 35.27, Zheng Haixia is the 5th most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Zheng Haixia (Chinese: 郑海霞; pinyin: Zhèng Hǎixiá; born March 7, 1967) is a Chinese retired professional women's basketball player for the China women's national basketball team and the Women's National Basketball Association.

6. Sun Yue (b. 1985)

With an HPI of 31.10, Sun Yue is the 6th most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Sun Yue (simplified Chinese: 孙悦; traditional Chinese: 孫悅; pinyin: Sūn Yuè [swə́n yɤ̂]; born November 6, 1985) is a Chinese former professional basketball player. He won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009, making him one of two players born in China to win an NBA championship, the other being Mongolian-Chinese center Mengke Bateer, who won the 2003 NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs.

7. Zhou Qi (b. 1996)

With an HPI of 28.22, Zhou Qi is the 7th most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Zhou Qi (Chinese: 周琦; pinyin: Zhōu Qí [ʈʂóʊ tɕʰǐ]; born 16 January 1996) is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He has been a regular member of the China men's national basketball team since 2014, winning a gold team medal in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship and the 2018 Asian Games. A center, Zhou started his professional career playing for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). In 2016, he entered the NBA draft and was selected 43rd overall by the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played a total of 19 games across two seasons with the Rockets before being waived in 2018. Zhou returned to the Flying Tigers of the CBA soon after. In 2021, he joined the South East Melbourne Phoenix in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).

8. Hu Jinqiu (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 18.19, Hu Jinqiu is the 8th most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Hu Jinqiu (Chinese: 胡金秋, born September 24, 1997) is a Chinese professional basketball player who plays for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association. He represented China's national basketball team at the 2016 FIBA Asia Challenge in Tehran, Iran, where he led his team in minutes, points and rebounds. Hu was included in China's squad for the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification.

9. Wang Siyu (b. 1995)

With an HPI of 0.00, Wang Siyu is the 9th most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  Her biography has been translated into different languages.

Wang Siyu (Chinese: 王思雨; pinyin: Wáng Sīyǔ, born 16 October 1995) is a Chinese basketball player. Active since 2013, She represented China at the 2018, and 2022 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup, where her game at the semifinals against hosts Australia was crucial to reach the finals.

10. Pan Zhenqi (b. 1995)

With an HPI of 0.00, Pan Zhenqi is the 10th most famous Chinese Basketball Player.  Her biography has been translated into different languages.

Pan Zhenqi (Chinese: 潘臻琦; pinyin: Pān Zhēnqí; born 7 May 1995) is a Chinese basketball player. She is part of the Chinese team in the women's tournament at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Having developed most of her career at Bayi, Zhenqi currently plays for Inner Mongolia team in the WCBA, winning the WCBA championship in 2022. She was part of the gold winning team at the Military World Games 2019, defeating Brazil in the finals by 93-65. She was also included in the silver winning 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup Chinese squad, being defeated by the USA team in the finals by 61-83.