Former NBA Players Now Thriving in China
Basketball careers have been lengthened and rejuvenated for some players who moved on to China
The NBA is the ultimate goal for just about any player seeking to play professionally. It offers more exposure and money than anywhere else, but there are also vibrant options in other markets. Some players, who began the careers in the NBA, didn’t stick around and have gone on to embark on successful careers elsewhere. We already covered players who have made successful transitions in Europe; now here are their counterparts in China.
Marshon Brooks: The shooting guard has been a basketball nomad since being drafted in the first round in 2011 out of Providence. In parts of five seasons, he spent time with six different teams, averaging 8.0 points in 202 games. In 2017–2018, he had the unusual stat line of averaging 20.1 points for the Memphis Grizzlies; playing in just seven games (one start), which all came at the end of the season. He spent two moderately successful seasons in the Euro League and then the past six as an outright star in China. In 138 games, he has averaged 34.4 points and been perhaps the biggest basketball attraction on the continent. He will be 32, so his NBA window is rapidly closing but that won’t matter if he continues his run in Asia.
