Former Rockets Star Yao Ming Blames Himself For China's World Cup Woes
9th September 2019
Former Houston Rockets All-Star Yao led China to some of their best results in global competitions
- Basketball legend Yao Ming said he blamed himself for host nation China's poor performances at the Basketball World Cup after their latest chastening defeat on Sunday
- Sunday's 86-73 loss to Nigeria in the classification round for teams outside the top 16 means China have failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics directly from the World Cu
- But the hosts failed to qualify for the last 16 after losing to Poland and Venezuela before the Sunday's reverse against the Africans in Guangzhou
BEIJING, China- Basketball
legend Yao Ming said he blamed himself for host nation China's poor
performances at the Basketball World Cup after their latest chastening defeat
on Sunday.
Sunday's 86-73 loss to Nigeria in the classification round
for teams outside the top 16 means China have failed to qualify for the Tokyo
Olympics directly from the World Cup, just days after the shock of crashing out
at the group stage.
The popular former NBA star became president of the Chinese
Basketball Association in 2017 pledging to reform a state development system he
said was badly in need of an overhaul, raising hopes of a resurgence in China's
most popular sport.
But the hosts failed to qualify for the last 16 after losing
to Poland and Venezuela before the Sunday's reverse against the Africans in
Guangzhou.
Asked in a press conference after the Nigeria game who took
responsibility for China's poor performance, a grim-faced Yao responded
"Me", before walking away.
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Former Houston Rockets All-Star Yao led China to some of
their best results in global competitions, fuelled basketball's popularity in
China and raised expectations of a strong run at their home World Cup.
"It is me who disappointed the fans," NBA
Hall-of-Famer Yao said after the game.
"The fans had great expectation for China at the World
Cup, but we could not make it," he added.
"(The World Cup) is a window for us to look out the
world. The gap between China and the world-leading basketball countries has
been enlarged."
Holders the United States are through to the quarter-finals
after beating Greece in Shenzhen on Saturday.