Hu Weidong

Hu Weidong (simplified Chinese: 胡卫东; traditional Chinese: 胡衛東; pinyin: Hú Wèidōng; born January 3, 1970 in Xuzhou, Jiangsu) is a former Chinese professional basketball player. At 6'6" (1.98 m) tall, and 210 lbs. (95 kg), he played as a point guard-shooting guard.

In 1985, Hu joined the Jiangsu Dragons' junior teams. He was a two-time MVP (1996 and 1997) in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), and he led the league in scoring three times.

Considered to be China's version of National Basketball Association (NBA) megastar Michael Jordan, Hu was offered the chance to play in the NBA league in 1998, but he was injured when the Dallas Mavericks offered him a contract, and he thus failed to become the first Chinese to play in the NBA. He was then offered a short term 10-day contract with the Orlando Magic in 2000, but he was injured shortly after, and was unable to take up the offer.

Hu represented the senior men's Chinese national basketball team from 1987–2002. Hu made a half court shot in the 1994 Goodwill Games, in which China collected the bronze medal, their only medal in non Asian play.

From 2005 to 2008, Hu was the head coach of his former team as a player, the Jiangsu Dragons. He accepted the job as the head coach of the Jiangsu Dragons again in December, 2011.

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