Clap!
Clap!
Clap!
“Alright, that’s enough for today’s training session.
Bring it in, everyone.
I’m announcing the starting lineup for opening night,” Head Coach Fan Bin called out, gathering the Fujian Sturgeons around center court at Zuchang Gymnasium.
The starting five for the 2011–12 CBA season opener was set: point guard Xie Yacai, shooting guard and captain Fan Songlin, small forward Zhao Tailong, power forward Zaid Abbas, and center Wang Zhelin.
Positions one through four all possessed reliable perimeter shooting, giving seventeen-year-old Wang Zhelin maximum room to operate in the paint without facing constant double-teams.
Meanwhile, explosive American import Anthony Robertson was anchored as the sixth man to lead the second unit, taking full advantage of the CBA’s four-quarter, six-man foreign player rule.
“Get two days of rest and stay focused,” Fan Bin instructed before dismissing the squad.
“Our opening match against Shanxi is on the evening of November twentieth.” On November 20, 2011, at 7:15 PM, the season officially kicked off.
Inside the 4,000-seat Zuchang Gymnasium, the home crowd packed the stands to capacity.
Sitting on the bench during pre-game warmups, Zhelin looked up at the bright lights and felt the floor vibrate beneath his sneakers.
If a CBA home opener feels this electric, he thought, what will it be like standing under the lights of an NBA arena across the ocean?
“Zelin, what are you standing in a daze for?” Captain Fan Songlin nudged him.
“Get out there and warm up!” Standing 213 cm barefoot and 217 cm in high-tops with a broad 115 kg frame, Zhelin immediately captured the crowd’s attention.
Seeking to ignite the arena, he motioned to Anthony Robertson on the wing.
“Hey, Brother Gua!
Let’s put on a show.” Robertson grinned, dribbled toward the three-point line, and threw a soaring alley-oop pass off the glass.
Zhelin took two explosive strides from the free-throw line, launched his massive frame into the air, caught the ball at the apex, and smashed it through the rim with brutal power!
BOOM!
The backboard groaned under the violent impact.
On the opposite end, Shanxi’s starting center, Shang Ping—a bald 205 cm veteran—subconsciously touched his head, swallowing hard at the sheer display of force.
Meeting Zhelin before tip-off, Shang Ping tried to introduce himself, but Zhelin simply shook his hand, turned around, and walked away, leaving the veteran staring in disbelief at the kid’s cold confidence.
In the broadcast booth, retired national team legend Li Nan and co-host Zhang Ke analyzed the upcoming matchup.
“On the surface, those pre-game dunks were pure crowd-pleasers,” Li Nan noted.
“But on a deeper level, Wang Zhelin is planting his flag.
As a seventeen-year-old rookie, he’s letting Shanxi’s frontcourt know he won’t be intimidated.” Scanning the opposition with his internal system interface, Zhelin noted Shanxi’s key players: foreign imports Charles Dennis (54 Overall) and Marcus Williams (57 Overall).
None of Shanxi’s domestic players broke a 50 rating.
Conversely, Zhelin’s recent strength training boosted his lower body strength to 81 and upper body strength to 78, raising his overall rating to 63 Overall—giving him elite CBA dominance and fringe NBA rotation caliber.
Prrrtt!
The referee tossed the ball up at center court.
Zhelin leaped effortlessly, slapping the tip-off cleanly to Zhao Tailong.
Accelerating downcourt, Zhelin raised his right hand toward the rafters.
Zhao Tailong recognized the signal instantly and lofted a high pass over the defense.
Zhelin caught the ball mid-air and slammed down a transition alley-oop to open the scoring.
2–0 Fujian!
Humiliated, Shanxi’s American import, Charles Dennis, demanded the ball on the next possession.
Waving his teammates off, Dennis drove past Zhao Tailong into the lane, gathering his stride for a rim-rocking dunk.
“Is this Chinese defense?” Dennis sneered.
Suddenly, a giant shadow rose behind him.
Before Dennis could elevate, a pair of massive hands met the basketball at its peak.
Zhelin didn’t just block the shot—he snatched the ball cleanly out of Dennis’s hands mid-air with raw, overpowering strength!
A clean, humiliating snatch block!
Zhelin immediately fired an outlet pass to Fan Songlin, launching a fast break that ended in a Zaid Abbas layup for a 4–0 lead.
Determined to redeem himself, Dennis called for the ball again and drove hard into the paint.
Positioned like an iron wall, Zhelin activated his purple-diamond Shaquille O’Neal card’s linguistic mastery and trash-talked in fluent American slang: “Come on, you ugly bastard!
Bring it inside and try dunking on me again if you’ve got the guts!” Fired up by the insult, Dennis launched himself into the air for a power slam.
Zhelin timed his jump perfectly, using his massive 228 cm wingspan to form an impenetrable wall.
Dennis tried adjusting to a double-pump reverse layup mid-air, but Zhelin’s hand swatted the ball cleanly out of bounds.
On Fujian’s next offensive possession, Zhelin posted up Shang Ping on the block.
Activating his Silver-tier skill, Sheed’s Wrath (+4 to Dunking, Vertical, and Jump Frequency for 3 seconds), Zhelin backed Shang Ping down with two heavy shoulder bumps, cleared space with his elbows, and shattered the rim with a violent power dunk!
From that point onward, Fujian ran their half-court offense directly through Zhelin as a tactical hub.
When the final buzzer sounded, Fujian secured a staggering 148–89 victory—a 59-point blowout that tied the third-largest win margin in CBA history.
Over 4,000 fans stood up, chanting “MVP!” in unison.
Zhelin’s debut statline was historic: 55 points, 28 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 assists!
In the stands, his father stood proudly, shouting to the crowd, “That’s my son out there!” Despite the overwhelming praise, Zhelin remained level-headed as he looked at his system interface: Overall Rating: 63 (NBA Fringe Player).
He knew that dominating the CBA was merely step one; his ultimate target remained the NBA across the ocean.
At the post-game press conference alongside Coach Fan Bin, reporter Yan Lu asked if he anticipated such a blowout.
“To be honest?
Yes,” Zhelin replied candidly.
“Our team was confident in winning, though I didn’t expect it to be this easy.
My opponents fell a bit short of my expectations.” His unfiltered, competitive answers left the media stunned.
Returning to the locker room, Zhelin was showered in champagne by his teammates.
Club Vice President Wu Bolan walked over, her eyes shining with excitement.
“Zelin, I haven’t seen a domestic big man command the paint like that since Yao Ming’s days with the Shanghai Sharks.” “Get used to it, Sister Bolan,” Zhelin smiled.
Wu Bolan leaned in close, whispering, “Lean down for a second.” When he complied, she planted a soft kiss on his right cheek before pulling back, blushing furiously.
“That’s your bonus reward for tonight!” By the next morning, news of the 17-year-old phenom flooded domestic sports portals under viral headlines: [SHOCKING!
Fans Exclaim: The Next Yao Ming Has Officially Arrived in Chinese Basketball!]