Yearender: China's 2025 basketball marked by growing pains, global journeys, domestic reform

by sportswriter Cao Yibo

BEIJING, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chinese basketball in 2025 read like a layered playbook: disappointment on the international stage, cautious optimism from players going abroad, and reforms at home aimed at rebuilding for the long term.

On the court, national teams searched for stability amid shifting competitive realities. Overseas, a new generation tested itself in higher-level leag