NBA, CBA greats combine to inspire Asia's young hoops hopefuls in Beijing

Jason Williams, aka "White Chocolate", showed how to dish out his signature no-look pass, while, on the other end of the floor, former Chinese national team starter Ding Yanyuhang was preaching the essence of his fade-away jumpers.

As the NBA legend and his Chinese counterpart taught by example, their young proteges watched on in awe, soaking up the once-of-a-lifetime experience of training under guidance of two of the game's best.

It was the 2026 Nike All-Asia Basketball Camp, held in Beijing's Shougang Ice Hockey Arena last week, where the most promising under-18 prospects, selected from China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia, spent five days together working on their game.

During the high-intensity, yet fun program, 60 boys and 30 girls took part in a comprehensive schedule of skills development sessions, team scrimmages, performance testing and some off-court team-building activities, including a visit to the Great Wall in the northwest suburbs of the Chinese capital.

"It was really a fruitful week and I really have learned a lot from this camp," China's U17 national team forward Zhang Yizhaojie said after winning MVP in the camp's all-star game on Sunday.

"We got to experience different styles of play by working with young players from other countries and regions. The level of the training and the intensity of the scrimmages will help me better get used to international play in the future," said the 16-year-old who scored a game-high 17 points in the all-star match.

Joining Williams, a 12-year NBA veteran, and Ding, a former Dallas Mavericks Summer League star, as trainers at the camp were multiple NBA and WNBA player development coaches, such as Aaron Miles (New Orleans Pelicans), Michael Lee (Golden State Warriors) and Danielle Viglione (Los Angeles Sparks).

They were led by camp director Dave Severns, the Indiana Pacers' college scout, with assists from an experienced local staff led by Wang Fei, a former Chinese national team coach and a CBA Hall of Famer.

Ding, who announced his retirement in March due to a nagging knee injury, said he hoped the young players left the camp feeling as inspired as he did when he was young participant in the program back in 2010.

"I hope they all enjoyed themselves like I did at the camp when I was younger," said the 32-year-old, who won back-to-back CBA league MVP awards in 2017 and 2018.

"It was also a learning experience for me to be here as a coach for the first time. I've had a different perspective this time, getting exposed to the different training philosophies between China and the United States.

"I hope this experience will help them grow quickly. I have high expectations for all of them," said Ding, who represented the Chinese national team at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games, the 2015 Asian championships and 2016 Rio Olympics.

Boasting a versatile skill set and world-class physicality, Ding was signed by the Dallas Mavericks to a training camp contract in 2018 and helped the franchise win the NBA that year's Summer League title. He was later waived by the Mavericks due to his knee injury.

Capping off its 20th edition with great success, the Nike All-Asia Camp, which was jointly supported by the CBA and China Students Sports Federation, is expected to continue helping build the game's foundations across the region far into the future.