The NBA has a lot to gain by finding the next Yao Ming or Yi Jianlian -- who wouldn't be interested in capturing the attention of a billion potential customers? But instead of just biding its time and hoping the next Chinese sensation washes up on US soil, the league is taking a proactive approach:Stern said NBA China is in an "ongoing dialogue" with Chinese authorities about installing 800,000 baskets in villages across this sprawling country. The NBA also hopes to be involved with a Chinese professional league. But Stern balked at comparisons with the NBA's Development League.The NBA is already quite popular in China -- members of the Redeem Team have been mobbed everywhere they go -- so it's possible that an investment in Chinese basketball at the grassroots level now will pay huge dividends down the road. Right now, it's still unclear if this league would compete with the already existing Chinese Basketball Association (or it's second division, the Chinese Basketball League).
"That would be a separate league that would be NBA-affiliated or NBA-sponsored, but it would be independent," Stern said. "And it would just sign players. For a very long time to come it would be at a lower scale than the NBA. But as the sport develops in China, and as more players around the world recognize the opportunities of playing in China, we see that league growing and strengthening."
Just like every other company who does business in China, the NBA can get more bang for its buck by outsourcing its player development. The most a player can earn in the D-League is $32,000. The average income for people living in cities and towns in China, on the other hand, is just 25,000 yuan, or $3,643 in US dollars. In other words, for the cost of one D-League payroll, the NBA could probably finance the entire Chinese league. It makes too much sense not to consider.
