THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

In today’s issue of the Philippine Star, Olmin Leyba wrote about Mengke Bateer, the Mongolian behemoth who manned the slot for many China National teams in the 90’s and a former NBA veteran with the  Toronto Raptors, San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets.

Bateer is currently in the country as as special guest for the celebration of the 10th anniversary in the Philippines of TCL, the country’s fastest emerging brand for cutting edge LED/LCD, full-HD TVs. He vividly recalled his battles with the PBA-backed Team Pilipinas squads during his National team days, the Olympic games and his short-lived NBA stint.

“I’ve been in the Philippines many times before, especially as part of the Chinese national team that played against the PBA in the 1990s. And I remember well that there were very excellent players. Of course they are all retired now.

“It’s a great honor to play for the national basketball team of China, especially in representing the country in the Olympics. In the NBA, it was more of a learning experience, getting to know how real basketball, pro basketball, is played.”