From the former New York Times Beijing bureau chief comes a closely observed story of a struggling Chinese basketball team and its quixotic, often comical attempt to make the playoffs by copying the American stars of the NBA.
When the worst professional basketball team in China, the Shanxi Brave Dragons, hired former NBA coach Bob Weiss to improve its fortunes, the team's owner, Boss Wang, promised that Weiss would be allowed to Americanize his players by teaching them "advanced basketball culture." That promise would be broken from the moment Weiss landed in China. As we follow this team of colorful oddballs on a fascinating road trip through modern China, we see Weiss learn firsthand what so many other foreigners there have discovered: that changing China happens only when and how China wants to be changed.
- ISBN10 0307272214
- ISBN13 9780307272218
- Publish Date 6 March 2012 (first published 14 February 2012)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 1 October 2014
- Publish Country IN
- Imprint Random House USA Inc
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 304
- Language English