MANILA, Philippines - China’s Wang Zhizhi hardly broke sweat in just three minutes of action against South Korea the other night at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The 7-footer spent most of the time on the bench after scoring only four points and committing one turnover in China’s 63-59 loss to Korea.
Yesterday, the former NBA player ran up and down the court for more than 18 minutes and had 17 points, three rebounds, five assists and a block.
He felt good inside the court and hoped to do better in the next games.
For the 36-year-old Wang, who played for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat from 2001 until 2005, this could be his last stint for the Chinese national team.
And he wants to make it a memorable one.
“This is my last. I hope to play good games here,†said Wang, who will have to dish out his best when China faces Iran today.
Iran, the FIBA-Asia champion in 2007 and 2009, is the only team that enjoys a size advantage over China, and should give the defending champion a tougher time.
But Wang, who’s definitely past his prime, will be there to lend his experience to the team.
And that’s the reason why he was included on the last minute following injuries to mainstays Han Shuo, Liu Wei and Li Muhao.
Wang feels at home in Manila, where he’s had fond memories as a young member of the Chinese team.
Wang was here before more than a couple of times, the last one during the 1995 Asian Junior Championship. He said he loves Manila.
“I have lots of Philippine friends,†he said.