Road to NBA now goes through China

Quincy Douby plays pro basketball in remote Xinjiang, a Chinese region known more for its deserts and ethnic tension than big-time sports, but the bright lights of the NBA remain firmly in his sights.

The New Yorker starred this year at guard for the Xinjiang Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), putting the team in position for a title and -- he hopes -- putting him in line for a return to the NBA's grand stage.

The 16-year-old CBA's development is making it an attractive option for foreign players -- both for young athletes dreaming of vaulting to the world's top league, and veterans eyeing a post-NBA soft landing.

"I got my eye on the big prize," Douby, 26, told AFP, just before scoring 44 points in this month's CBA All-Star Game, earning "most valuable player" honours.

"I've been able to really focus on working on my game here (in China)... Now I'm developing. When I get back to the NBA, I'm going to be able to do a lot more."

Douby played briefly in the NBA but was waived by the Sacramento Kings in 2006 and saw a 10-day 2009 stint with the Toronto Raptors end in injury.

NBA teams have already called Douby's agent, asking when the lightning-quick six-foot-three (1.91-metre) guard will be available.

"The CBA has increasingly become a training ground for guys aspiring to play in the NBA," said Bruce O'Neil, head of the United States Basketball Academy (USBA), which trains national youth teams for China and other nations.

Just last week, two players formerly with the CBA's Shanghai Sharks -- John Lucas and Mike Harris -- signed NBA contracts.

"The league is improving a lot, so it does not hurt these guys to come to China where they will be stars and be able to show off their skills, but that's not the case with the old washed-up (ex-NBA) guys," O'Neil told AFP.