• April 30, 2001
• Vol. 55
• No. 17

Wang's World

Watch Out, Shaq, Here Comes Wang Zhizhi, the Nba's First Chinese Player and Already a Hero in Dallas

He was greeted with that most American of tributes: four shirtless guys with W-A-N-G spelled across their chests. Thus did fans herald the historic April 5 debut of Wang Zhizhi, 23, the Dallas Mavericks' TV center and the first Chinese athlete ever to play in the NBA. A nifty shooter, Wang scored only six points in his first game, but "with two years of good coaching," predicts sports columnist Tim Noonan, who covered Wang for the South China Morning Post, "he'll be one of the top five centers in the league."

For now, he is a work in progress for the play-off-bound Mavericks—and a brand-new hero to his countrymen. "The whole nation of China is proud of him," says his 6'3" mother, Huan-Zhen, a former center on the Chinese women's national team (Wang's father, Wei-Jun, 6'6", also played). Wang led the Chinese army's team to six straight championships before Dallas lured him with a two-year, $800,000 deal (vs. $40,000 a year in China). "It is more physical in the NBA," Wang, who is single, says through his interpreter, "but I'm ready for the opportunity."

He is already adapting nicely to American cuisine and culture. "My favorite is Texas steaks," he says. "And I like listening to Mariah Carey." Nor did it take him long to win over Dallas fans: In his very first game he scored the basket that pushed the Mavs past 100 points, earning everyone in Reunion Arena a free chalupa in a local fast-food promotion—and earning himself a thunderous standing ovation.