Basketball icon Wang Zhizhi hoping for success at military games

Chinese basketball icon Wang Zhizhi stepped back into the spotlight when he was selected as the flagbearer for the Chinese delegation at the opening ceremony of the 7th CISM Military World Games in Wuhan, the capital of Hubei province.

The ceremony will start at 8pm on Friday night.

The 42-year-old retired star is now head coach of the Bayi Rockets basketball team. China will face Mongolia in their first Military World Games matchup of 2019 on Saturday.

The naming of Wang as flagbearer reflects the influence he has had on a generation of Chinese basketball talent.

While the appearance of Wang at the opening ceremony had not been predicted by many fans, Wang himself was focused on how to steer his squad to win a medal at the games.

"I played the Military World Games in 1995. That was a very different experience," he said. "Military World Games is a big international event. Although there's a big expectation on us, we should not have too much pressure. I have the same requirements on the team as before. We should actively display our skills, tactics, and style. As long as we play actively enough, everything in possible. We should show our determination and courage."

At the 1995 games, China's men's basketball team finished fourth.

Wang started his professional career with the Bayi Rockets in 1994. After several successful seasons in the CBA, he surprised the world by being selected by the Dallas Mavericks at the 1999 NBA draft. After a long period of negotiations, Wang finally went to Dallas in 2001, becoming China's first player to compete in the NBA.

After the Dallas Mavericks, Wang also played for the Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat before returning to the Bayi Rockets in 2006. The basketball veteran had been a core player of the Chinese national basketball team and helped the squad win medals in many international events, including the Asian Games.

Wang officially announced his retirement in 2016 and became head coach of Bayi Rockets before the start of the 2018/19 season.

Liu Yudong, team leader of the Chinese Bayi squad, who also played at the Military World Games in 1995 with Wang, also hopes his team can finish the games with a medal.

"First of all, we should not give up any chance," said Liu. "In front of the home crowd, I hope our players can show our spirit, the vitality of the younger generation and the courage of soldiers. Of course, it's always been our goal to win a medal."