Photo by Cui Meng / China Daily

2. Yao retires

A gentle giant bid farewell to the court.

Yao Ming, the backbone of China's national team and an all-star center for the Houston Rockets, announced his retirement on July 20 in his hometown of Shanghai, closing the book on a nine-year injury-plagued NBA career.

Landing in the world's most competitive basketball league as the overall No 1 draft pick in 2002, Yao dominated in the paint, blending his skills with a keen understanding of the game, averaging 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and starting in the All-Star Game seven times.

The 2.26-meter center expanded the game's appeal around the world, while playing a significant role in Sino-US relations as a global ambassador.

Although Yao vowed to continue burnishing his legacy off the court as owner of the CBA's Shanghai Sharks, Chinese fans lost a significant point of national pride.

Photo by Feng Yongbin / China Daily

3. Brawls plague Chinese basketball

The ugly side of Chinese basketball reared its head again twice.

On Oct 20, what started as an exhibition game between the CBA's Foshan Longlions and Australia's Melbourne Tigers turned into a violent chair-throwing brawl.

That followed another fight on Aug 18, in which punches and kicks were exchanged during a friendly game between the Bayi Rockets and the NCAA's Georgetown Hoyas.

Both games ended prematurely.

Chinese basketball apologized to the Tigers and Hoyas and punished its own teams, but the country's basketball's image was badly damaged again after a series of on-court incidents in recent years.