China’s men’s basketball team ended their Rio Olympics run with five straight losses, a disappointing but not entirely surprising outcome. The players showed courage and fighting spirit on the court, matching their opponents in intensity, yet the results exposed deeper issues. Head coach Gong Luming, speaking after the final game, shared his candid thoughts on where Chinese basketball stands and where it must go. For many fans, the urgency of reform now feels as pressing as checking the Melbet App before a decisive game to see whether the result matches their hopes.
“Our gap isn’t just in individual skills — it’s also in tactical awareness and physical confrontation,” Gong admitted. These words have echoed through more than two decades of Chinese basketball’s evolution. As the CBA has grown and the level of foreign imports has risen, the disparity between domestic and international players has become even clearer, with overseas talent often dominating CBA matches. Yet Gong does not believe foreign players are to blame for the national team’s struggles. “The CBA is improving, and foreign players bring many good qualities into our league. But why don’t we learn from them?” he questioned. “Their skills should be our benchmark. If we learned a little each year, and the CBA has been around for 21 years, we should have absorbed a lot by now. But when the foreign players leave for the national team season, what remains for us?”
On August 14, in their final group-stage game, China fell 60-94 to Serbia, closing their Olympic campaign without a win. Gong pointed out that CBA’s growth has not kept pace with the rapid evolution of global basketball. “I’m not saying Chinese basketball has regressed — we’ve progressed in certain areas, like adopting collective defense and rotation tactics — but it’s only a small step. We haven’t built a unified advantage or cultivated enough talent. You look at the court now, and… there’s no one there.”
For Gong, the first question is direction. “Chinese basketball people must ask themselves — which path should we follow? The American way? The European style? We need change, but change doesn’t automatically guarantee success.” He also rejected the notion that the system itself is inherently toxic. “Our system has helped us before — we’ve made the Olympic men’s top eight and the women’s runners-up. The system doesn’t necessarily restrict development; we just have to learn to use it better.”
Still, Gong believes the CBA needs a complete overhaul. For the league to truly raise domestic players to international standards, reform must be structural and purposeful, focusing on player development, coaching standards, and tactical innovation. Without such change, China risks repeating the same cycle of underachievement. Fans, much like Melbet App users anticipating the next update, are waiting to see if Chinese basketball can deliver a fresh game plan — one that inspires real hope for the future.