Hong Kong basketball players Oliver Xu and Ma Kong-san have found their way into the Chinese Basketball Association league after both were selected at the CBA Draft on Saturday.
Xu, 29, was selected by Nanjing Monkey Kings with the No 9 pick in the opening round, while Ma, 24, was picked up by Sichuan Blue Whales in the second round, with the overall No 22 pick.
Nanjing and Sichuan finished 12th and 19th, respectively, in the 20-team league last season.
The 1.90-metre (6 feet 2 inches) Xu, who plays as a guard, joined the Japanese B.League 3 side Iwate Big Bulls at the start of the year, averaging 10.6 minutes, 4.0 points, and 1.6 rebounds in 26 matches.
The Hong Kong international went to the United States in July to feature in the Drew League – a pro-am basketball league held every summer in Los Angeles, California – and did not return to Qingdao for the draft.
This year’s Chinese Basketball Association Draft was held in Qingdao. Photo: Handout
Ma, who had played professionally in Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan previously, had spent the past two seasons with local A1 Division side Shung Tak Eagles. He was at the Guoxin Gymnasium for the draft and the 2.08m centre went onto the stage to put on a Sichuan cap after his name was called.