Blatche to play in Chinese league

MANILA, Philippines – Andray Blatche, the Philippines’ naturalized center who impressed in the recent 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain, is reportedly set to play in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for a year.

This after Blatche signed a one-year contract to suit up for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the CBA, according to a report by Slam.

The report, citing an announcement from Blatche’s agency, said the 6-foot-11 center will join another former NBA player Jordan Crawford, who earlier signed with the Flying Tigers.

Blatche, 28, last played for the Brooklyn Nets in the NBA. He recently led Gilas Pilipinas to a memorable FIBA World Cup campaign, even topping the efficiency and rebounds ladder.

The mobile big man led all players in rebounds, hauling down a tournament-best 13.8 caroms a game. He tied Croatia’s Bojan Bogdanovic at second place in scoring with 21.2 points per game, behind J.J Barea of Puerto Rico (22 ppg).

Gilas Pilipinas originally planned to include Blatche in its roster for the ongoing 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, but the American was disqualified by organizers due to residency issues.