China's national basketball team has finalized its 12-player roster for the FIBA Asia Cup 2024, with forward Zhang Ning and point guard Xu Jie notably excluded from the lineup. The squad, announced Monday, will feature Wang Junjie, Zhu Junlong, Li Xiangbo, Yu Jiahao, Zhao Rui, Zhao Jiayi, Hu Jinqiu, Hu Mingxuan, Gao Shiyan, Liao Sanning, Cheng Shuaipeng, and Lei Meng.
The team's coaching staff emphasized the selection was based on "overall preparation needs" for the tournament, which kicks off August 5 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. China will face Saudi Arabia, India, and Jordan in Group C during the preliminary stage.
As the tournament's most successful team with 16 titles—most recently in 2015—China seeks to regain dominance after quarterfinal exits in the last two editions. Their opening match against host nation Saudi Arabia on Tuesday will test their revamped roster's readiness.
