Former NBA players seeking jobs in China

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-01 15:11

BEIJING - Dozens of former players of America's National Basketball Association (NBA) are seeking for jobs in the upcoming domestic league, the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA).

John Lucas III, who played for the Houston Rockets, had joined in the Shanghai Sharks, which was bought by the Rockets' center Yao Ming during the offseason, local reports said.

Lucas signed a three-year contract with the Rockets in the 2006-07 season when Lucas teamed up Yao to the playoffs. He was cut off in October, 2007.

The Sharks are having trials with Garret Siler, an Augustana senior who played the 2009 summer league for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The center avergaed 8.2 points and 6.8 rebounds in five games with the Timberwolves.

Forward DerMarr Johnson is weighing his chance with the Jiangsu Dragons after he arrived in Nanjing at the weekend.

Johnson, who was drafted sixth overall by the Atlanta Hawks in 2000,averaged 6.7 points and 2.8 rebounds during the two seasons with the Hawks before he was injured in a car-crash in 2002.

The 29-year-old also played in the San Antonio Spurs, New Yorks Knicks and Denver Nuggets in his NBA career.

Ansu Sesay, who averaged 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds with the Dallas Mavericks and the former Seattle SuperSonics (Okolahoma Thunders), had contacted with several CBA teams and is taking trials at Shannxi Zhongyu.

Sesay is vying one of the two positions at Shannxi against Donta Smith, Lee Benson and Morris Taylor.

Taylor had spells with the Rockets and the Sacramento Kings, and Benson was one of the best foreign players in the CBA when he played for the Yunnan Honghe.

CBA teams are busy with testing and signing foreign players as the deadline of December 4 is approaching.

The preseason matches will start on Friday and the 2009-2010 CBA league will set off on December 19.