The Chinese mavericks looking to buck the trends in American college basketball

(CNN) — “C’mon Bo, C’mon Bo, C’mon Bo.”

Inside the training facility at the University of Louisville, strength coach Eli Foy stands on a weighted sled, adding more resistance.

Zhang Boyuan, a 19-year-old player from northeast China, gives it everything he has, pushing the sled toward the end of the court as his teammates and coaches swarm around him, urging him on. That’s how their weekly strength session ends.

It’s the first Friday morning of the freshman’s adventure in Kentucky – and in American college basketball.

Zhang is regarded as one of China’s top young prospects. Last year, he left his home country to spend a year playing high school basketball in California, where his offensive talent stood out. Now, the 6-foot-9 forward is only weeks away from starting his first NCAA Division I season with the Cardinals. And he is not alone: more than 10 other Chinese players are set to take the same stage.

The freshman is part of a small but growing group of Chinese basketball players pursuing their NBA dreams through a different route: crossing the Pacific to develop in the American college system, just as the NCAA itself is becoming increasingly global.

“If I didn’t have a dream or a plan to play higher level basketball, I would not have come to the US,” Zhang told CNN Sports in a recent interview.

In China, most young talents have traditionally chosen to play in the domestic league to develop their careers. Among them, Hall of Famer Yao Ming, former Dallas Mavericks player Yi Jianlian, and even Yang Hansen – selected 16th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers last summer – reached the NBA after spending several seasons playing at home.

However, the introduction of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules in 2021 allow college athletes to earn money while in school, making the NCAA a more attractive destination for players from around the globe, said Jonathan Givony, an NBA and NCAA draft expert.

“So, seeing Chinese players come over and playing high school basketball and then college basketball, that’s another extension of this same trend,” he told CNN Sports.

Where the dream began

Changchun means “long spring” in Mandarin. The northeastern Chinese city is known for its industrial roots and long, harsh winters – much colder than Louisville.

It was there that Zhang grew up playing basketball and watching the NBA on television with his dad, who is an enthusiastic basketball fan. At the time, the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry were dominating the league, and they became the youngster’s favorite team and player.

Since NBA games began being broadcast on Chinese TV in 1986, the star appeal of American basketball has captivated generations across the country.

For every kid who hoops in China, playing in the NBA is a dream that “can be seen, but never reached,” Jia Lei, a veteran journalist who has covered Chinese basketball for two decades, told CNN Sports.

There is little doubt that Zhang had an NBA dream, too.

Games had not been particularly challenging for him either in Changchun or elsewhere in China.

“He has been the best in his age group,” said Jia.

Zhang uses his size and quick first step to attack the basket, while also knocking down three-pointers off the catch or on the move.

Representing a basketball powerhouse high school in Changchun, Zhang and his team finished third at a national tournament. At the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup and U18 Asian Cup, he averaged over 17 points in both tournaments.

But the path toward the NBA dream wasn’t clear until the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland last April.

Zhang was selected to represent the World Team alongside talents from across the globe. Playing against the US team featuring some of the country’s most promising prospects, he experienced the intensity of American basketball for the first time.

He scored six points in the first quarter but saw little playing time for the rest of the game, as AJ Dybantsa and Cam Boozer took control for the US. The World Team lost 124-114.

“Before that game, I never thought about moving to America. My plan was to go to a good college in China,” Zhang recalled.

“But just that single game changed everything.”

A different path

After returning to Changchun from Portland, Zhang managed to persuade his parents to send him to the United States.

He spent one year playing high school basketball at the Veritas Academy in California, where he averaged 20.2 points per game against high-level competition. His performance caught the attention of college scouts, and ESPN ranked him No. 56 among the 2026 class.

In the summer, he accepted an offer from Louisville, a tradition-rich team with three NCAA championships (though the Cardinals’ 2013 title was vacated by the NCAA in 2017).

“I feel moved after talking to the coach for a long time,” said Zhang. “It’s a big program with a really strong history. I feel like this place could make my dream come true.”

It was a Sunday morning when the freshman arrived in Kentucky with all his belongings from Los Angeles. In the evening, he met all his teammates and coaches, saying he found it “pretty exciting.”

In a social post announcing the signing, Louisville coach Pat Kelsey said: “Known for playing with passion, energy and toughness, he brings great size, versatility and an advanced knack for scoring. We are beyond excited to watch Bo continue his rapid development in our system.”

Louisville is hardly a familiar name to the Chinese populace compared with cities such as Los Angeles or New York, but Zhang hasn’t found it difficult to adapt.

Off the court, he recently moved to a new apartment. On weekends, Zhang sometimes takes his teammates to a Korean hot pot restaurant. He also likes wandering around the city and across the Big Four Bridge.

He enjoys the environment on the court, too: “Sometimes, I make mistakes during training, and my teammates will put their arms around me and tell me what I need to do differently.

“As an international player and a freshman, their support has really helped me adjust to the environment.”

Zhang is part of a broader internationalization of college basketball. A 2025 NCAA report said the Division I basketball tournaments “showcase international talent like never before,” with international players making up 15% of the women’s field and about 14% of the men’s.

That international presence extends across Asia, with players from countries including China, Japan and South Korea making their mark on the college game.

More than 10 other Chinese players, both men and women, are set to play Division I basketball for the new season.

This list includes freshmen such as Purdue’s 7-foot-1 Huan Sinan, an ESPN four-star recruit ranked No. 75 nationally; Ran Kejia at Xavier University, a 2026 WNBA draft pick; and Jacob Zhu at Western Carolina. It also features more experienced players, such as junior Deng Yuting at Oklahoma State, and senior Wang Junjie, a Chinese national team regular.

In China, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) has traditionally been a primary choice for young talents – where Yao Ming won the championship before coming to the NBA and Yang Hansen won Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the 2023-24 season and was an All-Star for two consecutive campaigns.

But for young players who are not big men like Yao or Yang, Givony argued that it is not the ideal path to flourish.

“It’s just not easy for young talents to get on the floor in the CBA to play through mistakes because a lot of the shots and the possessions are going through important players,” said Givony. “So, coming to play against players in your age group in high school and in college in the US could be beneficial not just for Chinese players, but for any players that age.”

For the Chinese basketball reporter Jia, the NCAA also offers higher-level competition, more physical play, and a better training environment compared with the CBA.

No easy game

For the upcoming season, the Cardinals have a whole new group, including experienced college players such as Jackson Shelstad, Karter Knox and De’Shayne Montgomery, all transfers from other schools.

As one of the few freshmen on the team, Zhang will have to compete for playing time, but he told CNN that his priority this season is to learn. While he hopes to have some strong performances, his immediate goal is to focus on doing his job well.

Givony sees potential in Zhang’s combination of size and versatility, which he noted is rare even in the US. But he also pointed out that the Chinese prospect will need to improve his shot selection, decision-making and defense to reach the NBA level.

There won’t be an easy road ahead for Zhang, especially as Louisville will face some of the toughest competition in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), including the likes of Duke, Virginia and North Carolina. Other Chinese players before Zhang have faced obstacles of their own.

Lin Wei, the CBA’s top homegrown scorer, averaged more than 20 points per game before coming to the NCAA but scored just 6.6 points per game in his first season at Oregon.

Wang, who has already made impressive appearances at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup for China, transferred this summer seeking a bigger role after averaging 20.3 minutes per game last season at San Francisco.

To date, no Chinese player has made it to the NBA through the college basketball route – but the NCAA is not solely a pathway to an NBA career.

“There are 5,500 players in Division I. Not even 1% of them are going to play in NBA. So, the other 99% have goals to play professional basketball outside the NBA. You can play in the EuroLeague, CBA, NBL,” said Givony. “I think the NCAA offers a platform for those leagues as well.”

For Jia, who has watched generations of Chinese talents develop in a variety of ways, his hope is for these Chinese mavericks playing in America to stay.

“Stay for as long as possible to push their ceiling higher, and do not return to the CBA too early if possible. Because in China, the basketball environment is just too comfortable in comparison,” Jia said.

After spending the entire summer training with the Cardinals, Zhang hasn’t been back to his hometown in over a year. At the beginning of his senior year of high school in Los Angeles, his dad flew to the city and spent a couple of months to help him settle down. But for the most part, moving thousands of miles from home meant figuring out a new life on his own.

“That was a big decision, because in China you can do everything easily. No need to worry about language or place,” said the 19-year-old. “But when you move to America, you gotta find a place to live. You (are going to) have problems (to solve). And you gotta think a lot.”

Despite the hurdles, Zhang is determined about the path he has chosen for himself.

“I just want to be a better player.”

The-CNN-Wire
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