Once reviled for turning his back on China, former NBA center Wang Zhizhi is dominating the domestic league with a run of play that bodes well for Chinese Olympic hopes and his own return to the NBA.

Wang scored 43 points and ripped down 14 rebounds to power his first-place Bayi Rockets to the team's 18th consecutive victory on Sunday.

The 101-97 win over third-place Jiangsu Nangang moved the club into a first-place tie with three-time league champion Guangdong Tigers.

Since returning home last year from a four-year stint in the US, Wang, dubbed "Big Zhi" by Chinese media, has become a pivotal player in China's drive for a medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics - a goal that, if fulfilled, could get him another shot at the NBA.

At the 2006 World Basketball Championships in Japan, Wang teamed with Houston Rockets All-Star Yao Ming to help China advance to the second round. Without Yao, he led the team to gold in Doha Asian Games.

"Wang is so talented you cannot believe it," national team coach Jonas Kazlauskas said after the Asian Games.

"In my coaching career there have been just a couple of players with bigger talent than him."

By dominating the domestic league and helping China to better results in international competition, Wang could soon be in position for a return to the world's top league, where he played for the Dallas Mavericks, Los Angeles Clippers and current NBA champions Miami Heat.

"It's in his hands. If he wants to, he can make it," Kazlauskas said.

Before departing to the NBA in 2001 - and being kicked off China's national team for refusing to return to national duty - Wang had helped Bayi, an army-run team which plays in Ningbo, to six consecutive CBA championships.

His departure opened the way for Yao Ming and the Shanghai Sharks to become the first team to dethrone the army team as league champions.

Now back in the CBA, the 29-year-old Wang is striving to help Bayi regain their former dominance. He is averaging 27.6 points and 9.4 rebounds this season, both career highs.

"I agree with Jonas's view," Bayi coach Adi Jiang said about Wang's NBA prospects.

"I hope Wang Zhizhi can continue to raise his level and help our team more.

"Since he came back, every game he has played he has helped us a lot. More important he came back and quickly meshed with the team."

Wang is now on a collision course to meet up in the CBA finals with reiging champions Guangdong, who boast five national team players including 19-year old center Yi Jianlian - likely to be a high pick in the June NBA draft.

The two teams each boast 21 wins with just four losses and have split two games between them this season.

Although the two centers were evenly matched in those two games, Wang has easily taken the lion's share of headlines in China's basketball-crazy sports press, while coaches and players universally praise his play.

"Wang Zhizhi brings a lot of positives, he has become a focus of the fans, he has contributed a lot to the league and to the national team, especially at the Asian Games," Beijing Ducks coach Min Lulei said after a 112-89 loss to Bayi on Friday.

"I think that Wang Zhizhi's returning to China was a very wise choice for him and for the national team. It is all very positive ... except that we can't figure out how to stop him."

(China Daily January 24, 2007)