A Silver lining to NBA philosophy

Commissioner committed to developing China's talent

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said burgeoning youth development programs and the frenzy generated among fans and media by preseason games in Shenzhen and Shanghai are solid indicators of the league's ever-growing presence in China.

But scaling new heights in the NBA's No 1 overseas market is more about developing a new generation of talent and hardcore supporters than about finding a homegrown successor to the legendary Yao Ming, who retired in 2011, Silver said on Sunday.