Chinese big man attempting comeback

Yao Ming is a bona fide NBA superstar. A two-time All-Star and arguably the league’s premier center, the Houston Rocket is a national hero in his native China. His games are typically televised there to an audience of more than 300 million households.

Before Yao, however, there was Mengke Bateer.

The 6-foot-11, 300-pound Bateer was the second Chinese player to compete in the NBA when he made his debut with the Denver Nuggets in February 2002, eight months before Yao played in the league. The Miami Heat’s Wang Zhizhi, who debuted in April 2001, was the first Chinese player to compete in the NBA.

Zhizhi and Bateer blazed the trail for players such as Yao. Bateer, who played in 46 NBA games with Denver, San Antonio and Toronto from 2002-04, is now with the National Basketball Development League’s Huntsville (Ala.) Flight.

Bateer, who at 29 is older than the 24-year-old Yao and 27-year-old Zhizhi, was China’s first dominant center.

He’s been on China’s national team since he was 18 years old. Bateer played on the team in the 1996, 2000 and 2004 Olympics. Bateer, the 7-6 Yao and the 7-1 Zhizhi have often been called “The Walking Great Wall.”

Bateer and Zhizhi, then with Dallas, became the first Chinese players to play against each other in the NBA in March 2002. That game was televised to about 400 million viewers in China. Bateer’s NBA career, however, was plagued with injuries. He missed 43 games with left patella tendinitis during his first season. He played in just 19 games over two seasons with San Antonio and Toronto.

Bateer, who was cut by the New York Knicks in the preseason, is averaging 11 points and 4.9 rebounds per game for the Flight.