Regretful! China's 57th pick! Ten whole years without making it to the NBA

Recently, during a talk show, Wang Zhelin discussed being drafted by an NBA team yet not going, and expressed that given another opportunity, he would certainly go...

In the 2016 NBA Draft, Wang Zhelin was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 57th pick.

In 2021, the Lakers sent Marc Gasol plus a second-round pick to the Grizzlies in exchange for Wang Zhelin's draft rights.

In 2022, Wang Zhelin's draft rights were sent to the New York Knicks as part of a three-team trade.

Yes, "Da Wang" is a legitimate NBA second-round pick.

Wang Zhelin, born on January 20, 1994, is a 2.14m tall center with a 2.15m wingspan. He has played in the CBA for 14 years so far, with the following stats:

Regular season: averaging 33 minutes, 20.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1 block per game, with a 56.5% field goal percentage.

Playoffs: averaging 31.6 minutes, 17.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1 block per game, with a 54.3% field goal percentage.

As for Wang Zhelin's individual achievements, he has essentially achieved a grand slam: 2 MVPs, 10 All-Star appearances, 1 All-CBA First Team selection, 2 club cup championships, and 1 CBA championship. His maximum-salary D-class contract with the Shanghai Sharks runs until the summer of 2028.

Many might say Wang Zhelin is only a "bully at home" and underperforms internationally. But he actually has had his bright moments in the national team. During the fifth window of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, he was named captain by then-head coach Du Feng. In two games, he totaled 50 points and 21 rebounds, leading the team to secure an early ticket to the 2023 World Cup.

Unfortunately, during the 2023 World Cup and Asian Games, the Chinese men's basketball team's head coach changed to foreign coach Aleksandar Djordjevic. Wang Zhelin, playing under him, experienced his darkest hours, averaging only 3.7 points and 4 rebounds in the former, and 6.5 points and 4.3 rebounds in the latter. Since then, he has been left out of the national team, losing the chance to prove himself again.

Now that things have come to this, there's no point in saying more. Regret is simply a part of life.

Having let go of his NBA obsession and with no national team duties, Wang Zhelin can instead focus better on his club. His main goal for next season is to lead the Shanghai Sharks to defend the CBA championship.