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Expelled star Wang makes humble return to China

Posted on: Monday, 10 April 2006, 01:36 CDT

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's first NBA star, expelled from the national team for skipping the 2002 Asian Games, made an apologetic return on Monday as China seeks to reconcile with "problem stars" ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

Wang Zhizhi, who paved the way for Chinese NBA players Yao Ming and Menk Barteer when he signed for the Dallas Mavericks in 2001, was welcomed back with open arms by the China Basketball Administration, the same body that expelled him.

The three became known as China's "Great Wall" in the NBA.

"We have always placed importance on and cherished talent," a CBA spokesman said on its official Web site on Monday.

"The door of the national team has always been open to those excellent athletes willing to pay back the motherland."

The 28-year-old former player and army official with the Ba Yi Rockets military team publicly apologized at the airport for turning his back on China.

"At the time I was young and immature," he was quoted on the CBA Web site as saying.

"Because of this, I made a very wrong decision.

"Through these years of painful reflection and with the help of leaders of the army and the CBA, I have deeper recognition of the mistakes I've made in the past."

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The center's return follows several meetings with CBA vice-president Li Yuanwei in the United States in February after he was dumped from the NBA's Miami Heat team prior to the current season.

Whereas Yao Ming's NBA career with the Houston Rockets has prospered and makes daily headlines in local media, there has been a virtual blanket ban on coverage of Wang's relatively unsuccessful stint in the world's top league -- until today.

His return to the national team has not been confirmed, but the CBA stated that the ball was firmly in Wang's court.

"Whether he plays for the national team again will depend on his capability, mental and physical conditions," the CBA said.

Chinese sporting authorities take a dim view of athletes shirking national duty, having black-listed a number of problem stars, including Olympic champion diver Tian Liang.

However, recent media reports have said that China would reach out to national athletes it had cast off in order to field the strongest possible team for the 2008 Beijing Games.

Wang's return follows China's recent reconciliation with promising tennis player Peng Shuai, who had complained of being stifled by national duties.

Source: REUTERS

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