Ma Jian (basketball)

In this Chinese name, the family name is Ma.
Ma Jian
马健
Personal information
Born (1969-08-20) 20 August 1969
Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
CollegeUtah Valley Community College (junior)
University of Utah
Playing career1985–2003
Career history
1995–1996Hapee Cavity Fighters
1997Beijing Ducks
1998-2001Beijing Olympians
2002-2003Shanghai Sharks
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing China
Asian Games
1990 Beijing
FIBA Under-18 Asia Cup
1989 Manila

Ma Jian (simplified Chinese: 马健; traditional Chinese: 馬健; pinyin: Mǎ Jiàn; born 20 August 1969 in Shijiazhuang, Hebei) is a former professional basketball player from China. He is known for playing college basketball in the United States and was among the first Chinese nationals to play competitive basketball in the United States.

Early life

Ma was one of two children born to 6'3" basketball coach Ma Deichai and 5'4" Zhang Yumin in Tianjin.[1] At 16 years old, he wanted to become a basketball player.[2] He attended a basketball camp conducted by Jim Harrick, the head coach for the UCLA Bruins.[3]

College career

In 1992, Ma came to the US. He was recruited by Harrick to play for UCLA, but he failed the entrance exam due to his lack of fluency in English.[3] He would instead play for junior college Utah Valley Community College after completing a year at a Chinese university.[4][3] In 1992, he averaged 17.9 points and five rebounds.[5]

Ma then transferred to play college basketball for two years with the University of Utah.[4] This made him the first Chinese to play in the NCAA D-1.[6] In his first season under Rick Majerus, he averaged 8.7 points and 3.7 rebounds while starting all but one of Utah's 28 games. However, a lack of communication between them led to Ma only averaging 3.4 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists with only three starts.[7][5] In his final home game with Utah, Majerus delivered a tribute to him in Mandarin.[8]

Professional career

Attempting to break into the NBA, Ma was able to play exhibition games with the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers in the team's summer-league programs in 1994. He was among the final cuts for the 1995–96 Clippers roster but he did not feature in any regular games for the Clippers.[4] He attempted to return to China to play in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), but the CBA refused to let him in.[5]

Ma had a brief stint in the Philippines playing for the Hapee Cavity Fighters of the Philippine Basketball League (PBL). He helped Hapee clinch the 1996 PBL Reinforced Conference title – the first for the franchise.[9] He was popular in the Philippines, with many Filipino-Chinese fans watching his games live.[10]

He later returned to China to play for the Beijing Olympians of the CBA, until he left during and sued them.[11] He then signed a one-year contract with the Shanghai Sharks.[5] In 2003, he signed with the Jilin Northeast Tigers to return to the Philippines, as the team competed at the 2003 PBA Invitational championship.[1] They were winless in that tournament.[12]

National team career

Ma first made the China men's national under-19 basketball team in 1986.[13] He then competed in the 1990 Asian Games and the 1992 Summer Olympics for the Chinese men's national basketball team.[4][14] During the 1992 Olympics, he was benched as China lost all of its games due to political reason.[6] He then turned down the decision to play in the 1996 Summer Olympics as he was still trying to make the roster for the Clippers.[5] His decision to pursue a career in the United States reportedly led to his exclusion to the Chinese national team.[4][14]

Personal life

Ma is married to Simiko Takahashi, a Japanese-American. They have two sons.[5] His only brother, Ma Ming, attempted to play college basketball in the Philippines for Ateneo, but after failing math, became a Nike executive and now runs his own sports agency.[15] He has a sports foundation, named after him, that focuses on sports education.[16] After retiring, he became a basketball commentator on television, and covered the 2008 Olympics.[17][7] He had previously covered Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals on Chinese television.[5]

Filmography

Year English title Chinese title Role Notes
2010 Lost on Journey 人在囧途 Vendor
Welcome to Shama Town 决战刹马镇 Gui Zhong
Seven Arhat 七小罗汉 Big Idiot
You Deserve to Be Single 活该你单身 Bald patient
2011 The Founding of a Party 建黨偉業 School janitor
2012 The Assassins 銅雀臺 Guard commander

References

  1. ^ a b Henson, Joaquin M. (July 30, 2003). "MJ's back in town". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  2. ^ "Biography / | Ma Jian University of Utah Alumnus and Former Basketball Player". Ma Jian Foundation. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  3. ^ a b c Hersch, Hank (November 29, 1993). "Ma Jian". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e Taylor, Scott (11 July 1996). "Chinese National Team Says no to Ma". Deseret News. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Henson, Joaquin M. (February 19, 2003). "The fallen Chinese star". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  6. ^ a b "HOMEPAGE". Cultural Half-court: The crossroads of Chinese basketball. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  7. ^ a b Rock, Brad (2008-08-15). "Ex-Ute paved way for China hoops". Deseret News. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  8. ^ "Rick Majerus 1948--2012". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Archived from the original on 2025-04-28. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  9. ^ Terrado, Reuben (23 January 2022). "Remembering Chinese import Ma Jian's stint with Hapee in PBL". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  10. ^ Ramos, Gerry (October 2, 2014). "'Ma Jian phenomenon' in defunct PBL inspires plan to tap Asian reinforcements in PBA". Spin.ph. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  11. ^ Shanghai, CRYSTYL MO (2002-02-25). "Brick City". TIME. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  12. ^ Ventura, Sid (2022-09-13). "Welcome to the PBA: A history of guest teams in the competition". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  13. ^ Clarito, Ariel Ian (2020-12-27). "Throwback: PH hosts 1986 ABC Youth Championships amid holiday season". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  14. ^ a b Riminton, Hugh (17 May 2005). "Ma Jian paved way for sports fame". CNN.com International. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved 24 January 2022.
  15. ^ Henson, Joaquin M. (September 1, 2023). "Reconnecting with Ma Ming". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  16. ^ Jian, Ma (2023-07-28). "Empowering Youth Sports and Leadership". Ma Jian Foundation. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
  17. ^ Lee, Michael (2008-08-10). "Opener against China a supreme test for U.S." NBC News. Retrieved 2025-07-01.
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