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Mike Chan

Hong Kong pair Oliver Xu and Ma Kong-san have found their way into the Chinese Basketball Association after both were selected at the league’s draft on Saturday.
Xu, 29, was taken by Nanjing Monkey Kings with the No 9 pick in the opening round, while Ma, 24, was picked up by Sichuan Blue Whales in the second round, with the overall No 22 pick.
Nanjing and Sichuan finished 12th and 19th, respectively, in the 20-team league last season.
The 6ft 2in (1.90-metre) Xu, who plays as a guard, joined the Japanese B League 3 side Iwate Big Bulls at the start of the year, averaging 10.6 minutes, 4.0 points, and 1.6 rebounds in 26 matches.
The Hong Kong international went to the United States in July to feature in the Drew League, a pro-am basketball league held every summer in Los Angeles, and did not return to Qingdao for the draft.

Ma, who previously played professionally in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, had spent the past two seasons with local A1 Division side Shung Tak Eagles. He was at the Guoxin Gymnasium for the draft and the 6ft 8in centre went onto the stage to put on a Sichuan cap after his name was called.
Xu and Ma are the seventh and eighth players from the city to reach the CBA, following in the footsteps of previous players including Poon Chi-ho, Duncan Reid and Lo Yi-ting, the current head coach of the local A1 Division outfit South China.
Sixty-five players, the lowest in five years, entered the draft, but only 64 were available for the 20 teams after Chen Weihan was deemed ineligible.












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In the end, 21 players, 16 in the first round and five more in the second, were picked, with 23-year-old centre Yang Xihao heading to Fujian Sturgeons with the No 1 pick. Forward Du Zhibo, 22, was picked second by Sichuan and 2022 National Basketball League Finals MVP Pang Zhenglin went to Jiangsu Dragons with the No 3 pick.
Separately, basketball fans in Qingdao also got to interact with NBA player Yang Hansen this morning in a meet-and-greet session.

Tickets for the session were snapped up within a few minutes of being made available online, and 600 fans attended the event with the 20-year-old, who was picked by the Portland Trail Blazers with the No 16 pick in the NBA Draft last month.
Qingdao Eagles were said to be organising the session to celebrate Yang being the third Chinese player to be selected in the first round and to send off their own talent before the Shandong native embarked on his NBA journey.
The Eagles, who finished eighth in the league but were eliminated in the playoffs in the quarter-final by eventual champions Zhejiang Lions, also announced that they are to temporarily hang up Yang’s No 15 jersey while he is playing in the NBA.


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CBA (Chinese Basketball Association)

Hong Kong’s Oliver Xu and Ma Kong-san drafted into Chinese Basketball Association

Oliver Xu (left), seen here playing for Hong Kong in the Fiba 3x3 Paris Olympic qualifiers, played for Japanese B.League 3 side Iwate Big Bulls last year. Photo: Getty Images

This year’s Chinese Basketball Association Draft was held in Qingdao. Photo: Handout

Yang Hansen made an appearance in a session with the fans in Qingdao on Saturday. Photo: Handout

Chinese centre Yang Hansen to skip Fiba Asia Cup to work on his game with NBA’s Portland

Houston Rockets’ Jermaine Samuels Jr (left) tries to steal the ball from Portland Trail Blazers’ Yang Hansen during an NBA Summer League game last week. Photo: AP

Yang Hansen said he had learned a lot from playing in in four NBA Summer League games. Photo: AP

AC Milan superfan makes 24,000km round trip to Hong Kong for Liverpool clash

AC Milan fans holding player jerseys outside a Puma store at Kai Tak Mall 2 on Friday. Photo: Jelly Tse

Milan fan Andy Yang (right) got to meet his hero Zlatan Ibrahimovic in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

Milan’s Brazilian midfielder Kaka is Andy Yang’s favourite player. Photo: EPA

Sport

Basketball

China

Hong Kong

Xu and Ma are the seventh and eighth players from the city to reach the league, following the likes of Poon Chi-ho, Duncan Reid, Lo Yi-ting


Xu and Ma are the seventh and eighth players from the city to reach the league, following the likes of Poon Chi-ho, Duncan Reid, Lo Yi-ting.


Yang Hansen

Hong Kong’s Oliver Xu and Ma Kong-san drafted into Chinese Basketball Association

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Xu and Ma are the seventh and eighth players from the city to reach the league, following the likes of Poon Chi-ho, Duncan Reid, Lo Yi-ting

Xu and Ma are the seventh and eighth players from the city to reach the league, following the likes of Poon Chi-ho, Duncan Reid, Lo Yi-ting