Reforms

The gloomy short-term outlook for the national team, however, has been offset in recent months by mounting excitement in the CBA league, where attendances and online viewing figures are on the rise, to offer Yao and his colleagues renewed hope that rebuilding the game's tarnished image is achievable.

With the focus on sharpening efforts to hone domestic talent and improving the overall fan experience, the CBA introduced a series of reforms before the start of current season. These included flexibility on tip-off times to cater to broadcasting, an extension of the regular season to a lighter schedule to allow more recovery for players, and new regulations to improve officiating.

The league has hired five full-time professional referees for the first time and has introduced video replays to scrutinize the performances of refs, who are now regularly evaluated for potential wage raises or cuts.

Various other changes to league operations, which have been agreed upon but have yet to be implemented, include a salary cap for domestic players and further limiting the use of imported players starting from the 2020-21 season.

According to the plan, unanimously approved during a club owners' meeting in October, the initial cap will be 36 million yuan (around $5.2 million) for each team, but teams will be allowed a buffer of 12 million yuan, so the ceiling can be raised to 48 million yuan.

Each team can have only one foreign player on the court at any given time, down from two this season, although each franchise will be allowed to register a maximum four, up from two this year.

It's hoped capping wages and reducing clubs' reliance on foreign players' offensive capabilities can push local talent to level up their game and, in turn, bolster the national program.

"The changes we've made might not necessarily yield quick results. Instead, we should focus on consistent investment and effort over the long run to eventually make the league the top professional sports competition in our country," said Yao, China's only Basketball Hall of Famer, who was inducted in 2016.

The CBA's determination to curb the dominance of imported players on the court has been echoed by clubs, who are rethinking their policy on foreign recruitment.

Rather than focusing on signing big-name former NBA players in the twilights of their careers to sell tickets or market franchise brands, CBA clubs are now more interested in acquiring leaders in their prime, who can potentially better blend in with the culture and help local teammates develop.

The release of Kenneth Faried by the Zhejiang Lions in December after just seven appearances and the firing of Amare Stoudemire by the Fujian SBS after 11 outings－both due to declining form and poor chemistry with their Chinese teammates－underlined that CBA clubs are putting this philosophy into practice.

Still, the arrival of fan-favorite imports such as the Ducks' Asian-American guard Jeremy Lin, who inspired "Linsanity" in early 2012 with the New York Knicks, and veteran forward Lance Stephenson, who plays for the Liaoning Flying Leopards, has helped level up competition in the league and boosted its domestic and global profiles.

According to league figures, over 12 million people tuned in to watch this season's curtain-raiser between the Guangdong Southeast Tigers and the Flying Leopards, while online streaming of the game attracted 33 percent more viewers than it did for the corresponding fixture 12 months earlier.