A new group of Chinese youth basketball players is set to continue their development overseas.

On May 28, the 2026 Joe Tsai Basketball Scholarship announced its latest intake, with six student-athletes — Wang Shuning, Wang Yuqing, Zhang Ranyi, Gao Yichen, Jiang Linhan and Liu Congke — selected after a nationwide, multistage evaluation process.

This autumn, the six teenagers will head to the United States to study and train at American boarding schools, stepping into a basketball environment shaped by both academic demands and high-level competition.

The program, initiated by Joe Tsai, with support from the Chinese Basketball Association, aims to cultivate young Chinese players with both athletic ability and international academic exposure. It provides full scholarships covering tuition and living expenses, while placing athletes in the US high school basketball system for long-term development.

The process to determine the 2026 cohort began in August 2025 and received more than 300 applications from 27 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, as well as the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.

After an initial screening, 56 candidates advanced to a training camp held in Hangzhou last November.

There, the players underwent comprehensive evaluation across physical testing, technical drills and team competitions designed to assess adaptability and all-round potential.

The camp was led by former China men's national team head coach Wang Fei, with Olympic medalist and Chinese Basketball Hall of Famer Liu Qing, alongside coaching staff from the US-based Gillion Basketball Academy. The program emphasized physical conditioning, skill refinement and tactical understanding across offensive and defensive systems, simulating international training standards.

A parent information session was also introduced for the first time, covering overseas study planning, academic-athletic balance, and the structure of US high school basketball, reflecting the program's increasing focus on long-term athlete development beyond the court.

From there, six finalists were selected.

Now in its fifth year, the Joe Tsai Basketball Scholarship has supported the US-based study of 28 Chinese student-athletes and built partnerships with more than 30 American high schools in key basketball regions.

Its alumni have progressed across multiple levels of the game. To date, eight participants have received NCAA Division I full basketball scholarship offers, seven have joined China's national youth teams or training camps and two have entered the professional ranks through the CBA Draft.

Among them, the trajectory of earlier cohorts illustrates the program's growing impact. Forward Zhang Yijiong, from the 2019 intake, developed into a 2.05-meter front-court player who earned a full NCAA basketball scholarship before being selected seventh overall in the first round of the 2024 CBA Draft.

Center Huan Sinan, from the 2022 intake, was rated by ESPN as a four-star US high school prospect in 2024, and later led the FIBA U19 World Cup in blocks while representing China.

These cases reflect a broader trend: the gradual integration of Chinese youth players into global basketball development systems, with increasingly diverse pathways linking school basketball, international competition and professional opportunities.

At the training camp, Joe Tsai, the Alibaba co-founder and Brooklyn Nets owner, encouraged participants to look beyond results. "Basketball teaches us not only how to win, but also how to face adversity, take responsibility, and trust teammates," he said. "What truly matters is the trust built among you — it will stay with you for life."

He added that the program should remain focused not only on producing players, but on supporting young people to access broader life opportunities through sport.

Among the six selected athletes, 15-year-old guard Wang Shuning from Shanxi province stands out for her pace, control and perimeter scoring ability, while 201cm forward Liu Congke from Hebei province brings strong defensive awareness and interior presence.

For the 2026 cohort, the move to the US will involve adapting not only to a new basketball environment, but also to a different academic structure and daily routine as they continue their development on and off the court.