8 Scientific Reasons Why Asians Love Basketball

Vince Carter confirmed to me that basketball is like Kung Fu, my theory is correct. What if NBA players when they go to China have just replaced the Kung Fu masters from a previous generation? Welcome to the Hot Pop Boys podcast, where we talk about a variety of things, serious, not as serious. Today, we're going to be diving into a question that we have discussed amongst ourselves so many times. Why do Asians love basketball? I would say for Chinese and Filipino guys, they almost don't follow anything else. In Asia, particularly in China and the Philippines, Taiwan, basketball is the number one sport. Basketball actually, by the way, is gaining crazy popularity across the world. I know that soccer in most developing countries is still number one, but in Asia, I think basketball has taken it. Now, by far, I think basketball has taken over China. For sure, basketball in China, and basketball in Taiwan recently, and then basketball now. Low-key countries like Singapore and Malaysia, basketball. If you want to talk about the one that's the most popularly international, obviously coming from America, it is basketball. If you're a kid in Indonesia or Malaysia or whatever, and you want to be what's on trend, it's basketball, NBA. For sure, for sure. Guys, we're going to talk a little bit about, at the end, on why it seems like Asians are not that good at basketball, despite loving it so much, but we just wanted to establish that, yes, Asians do love basketball. There are so many asking this question. Why do Asians love basketball so much, and why do Asian-Americans love basketball so much? Whether that, you're talking about the JA Leagues, the Filipino American Leagues, the Chinese American Leagues, Korean Olympics. All right, guys. Point number one, to why Asians love basketball, especially in China and the Philippines, there's actually a long history of basketball in Asia. Basketball was introduced to the Philippines back in the 1900s by the US Army. In the 1900s, imagine this, basketball was invented in the late 1800s. That's even before Arizona became a state, and that's also why you meet so many old Filipino ballers. Dude, playing in sandals on the dirt, bro. Dude, or barefoot. Or you meet the old Filipino baller at the gym, and you're like, man, you could shoot. Man, what? And then he's like, oh, I played D-League PBA. And you're just like, of course you did. No, no, no, that is true. You meet a lot of guys at the gym who tried out for a pro team in 1972. You even played against a pro baller at Almanzar Park randomly. I did. Yeah, yeah, yeah. A PBA MVP. PBA MVP. He's like the Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan of PBA back in the time. That was crazy. And then, guys, in China, basketball was introduced to China in the 1930s, and it was officially endorsed by the prime minister at the time for the contribution to fitness and promotion of teamwork. China has loved basketball. And then especially when Yao Ming came through the league and was successful, it blew up. Well, there's a lot more teamwork than, say, one-on-one kung fu, to be honest. We went to a Taiwanese-run church growing up, and after Sundays, they'd always have basketball time. And it was led by all these old Taiwanese guys. Jeremy Lin's dad loved basketball. Obviously, that helped Jeremy to become the great basketball player that he is. But I want to talk about Japan real quick. See, I know that, obviously, we're going to get to the Japanese-American basketball community in a second. But even in Japan, they've made over 10 anime cartoons, shows about basketball. That's a lot. I wouldn't say that basketball, from what I know, is that popular there. Just the cartoons are. As a cartoon. But I'm saying culturally, the idea of basketball is really popular in Japan. Maybe as the sport itself is not widely played as much as it is in China, Taiwan, Philippines, but it's just a popular thing. Everybody knows what basketball is in Japan, I'm pretty sure. I will say this, guys, moving on. I don't necessarily think in Japan that it came from Japan to the Japanese-Americans, per se. I don't necessarily think that's how it worked for their community. They've just been here so long, and they use it as a... I heard the JAs that are fifth gen, you know where they got it from? They got it from other white farmers. Because they came over as farmers. If you guys know about basketball culture, I think nowadays it's very associated maybe with the inner city and metropolitan cities. For a while, it was very like Indiana farmhouse Larry Bird. And still to this day, when you go to places like Indiana, they love basketball. Those farmer white guys, they love basketball. Reason number two why Asians love basketball is that there are an infinite number of variations of the game of basketball. You can train by yourself, work on your skills. And that's almost became an industry of itself. Exactly. And you can play one-on-one, two-on-two, three-on-three. It's hugely popular. Sometimes considered more fun than five-on-five in many cases. You can play four-on-four, and of course, five-on-five basketball. I think initially a lot of people say, oh, Asians, they're not really fit to play basketball. Why do you love basketball so much? You're not the tallest. It's height-oriented. Yeah. But guess what? When there's different variations of basketball, you get to customize the leagues on how you want. So obviously the six-foot-and-under leagues cater to us. I've even heard in certain densely populated Asian areas, five-seven-and-under leagues. Now, think about other sports. There is no such thing. I mean, you don't really hear about a six-foot-and- under soccer league because height is not such a thing where you need to separate it by height. Yeah. Well, Messi's like 5'9", and he was considered for a long time the best player in the world. Exactly. And you can adjust the game to how physical you want to play it. You know, if you're playing tackle football, there's kind of like, you can't set that many rules. Like, you can't say, hey, everybody- You can't lower down the- you can't like, oh, don't hit him that hard. You know, it's like- It's tackle football. I know. You got to take them down. So, but in basketball, you can kind of measure the level by, you know, A, don't play as physical. You call it really tight. You have referees. Or, you know, when we played ball in Asia before, you're going to call like even non-physical fouls. My God, I might not well play, man. It's almost like no contact out there. I play pick up a lot in Asia, you know, through the traveling and stuff. It's just like every time I'm at the park, I would like look at the guy, and he'll call a foul on me. I'm like, what? I was balling in Hong Kong years back, and then I'm closing out on a guy. I say, shot! Close out, call shot, did not touch him. Call foul! And I said, wait, wait. I didn't know it was, you know, I was slight language barrier. You know, I don't speak very good Cantonese. I was like, yo, yo, what's going on? What's going on? And then I was like, wait, wait, what? On foul on who? Foul on who? And they're like, on you, you, you. I was like, why? Why? What'd I do? He goes, you'll yell. I was like, you'll yell. That's why NBA today, they took out hand checking because they want to cater towards offensive player where they can score more because people want to see the ball score more. Yeah. So it's like, it's ridiculous. No, it's true. It takes away the whole defensive pride in the game, which is no, what I pride for sometimes. I just want to like lock this person down, but yeah, whatever. There's so many levels that you could play it at. Like, for example, in the playoffs, theoretically, it's kind of weird because some games don't seem like they're called this way. They let a lot of contact go. And then in the regular season, they call the fouls. Real quick, guys, favorite form of basketball, not five on five or three on three. Horse, bump, jelly contest, dunk contest, on a little hoop, horse. I like 21. You like 21? Or two on two, two on two is fun. King of the court and just playing on a little hoop. Okay. All right. So how about non, like versus game? Sevens, shooting game. Okay. Shooting game, seven. Dunk contest with your friends. Yeah. Dunk contest or horse. See, it's really fun. Like a lot of, you can do a lot of different things with basketball. And I think that's why Asians like it because you don't have to just play one way. Listen, if you had to play basketball five on five every time, I think it would discourage a lot of people from playing. It's rare to find a court like that because even other LA fitnesses in the area, they do not have good five on five. Hey, can I write a check? So it is a privilege to be able to play good five on five. Here's a message to a lot of the people who are horrible at five on five. That's okay. You can be horrible at basketball. It's all good. Please do not come to the gym with a bunch of people who want to play a good five on five and just suck it up. Like if the only time you play basketball is five on five at the gym, ruining other people's games, please just train by yourself or play at the park for a little bit before. Like, all right, guys, reason number three, you can play basketball instantly and anywhere. So meaning that even in places where there's not a lot of basketball culture, all you need is a hoop and a basketball, and you can literally start playing right away. I mean, you just need like a peach basket and a tree. This is how quick it is to play a game of basketball. You walk up to the court. Hey, you guys want to run threes? Okay, sure. You're playing literally within 10 seconds of arriving to a court of just random people shooting around. You can organize a game. We've all seen people jump off the street in jeans, in Timberlands, you know, in New York, people falling, all types of things. I've been hooped up by guys in jeans and Timbs. Dude, how many cops walk by courts and start hooping with the people? That's a popular thing now. You see a lot of things, yeah. You see a lot of cops hooping with people. Yeah, and some of the cops get got, and some of the cops, they get them. You can play on a very small court. You can play on a very big court. I love basketball, man. I talk about it so much. You love it so much. You're like zoning out, thinking about how much you love it. You're not even talking that much. I'm just like appreciating basketball, man. It's just like... It's just running through your head right now. It's like my passion, you know? Even this list about why Asians love basketball is making Nell fall in love with basketball again. I can see it in your eyes, bro. Put the heart emoji. Hooping. You could even play it in your house. Yes. That's how accessible it is. You know, just between instant playing, instant scoring, and instant noodles, man. I think Asians love the instant gratification that they get from basketball. Well, Asians have busy lives. They usually have to go study, or they have to go work. Yeah. Or they have to go do something for their family. One of those three things that's really common in the Asian world. You want to be able to get in, get started, get going, and exit. Reason number four why Asians love basketball is that it's a good deal. Basketball infrastructure, like we were saying hoop basketball, doesn't cost a lot. Leagues don't cost a lot. Equipment doesn't cost a lot. You don't need really special shoes, really. I mean, basketball shoes help, but you can ball in anything. I remember joining a junior football league even before junior high. Like it was an outside league, right? And you needed to sign like four different waivers. You need to get a helmet, and you didn't get a helmet on the first, or you got a helmet on the first day. I think you even have to sign a death waiver. And then you don't get the, you get the pads later. And then you have all these jerseys and stuff. And then technically you just ball in jeans, right? So I came up with this term called FPM, fun per minute. And I ranked it against just my own metric that I made up. But I ranked it against other sports. And basketball, maybe from a biased perspective, comes in number one. Wow. Easily, easily. I would say the only other thing that's comparable is soccer, right? But the thing about soccer is there's way less scoring, way more running. And it's actually really not popular in America, unless you're like a suburban white kid. Anything that moves really fast and it's like constant action, you know, it's pretty fun. But obviously, like you said, soccer, when you don't score that much, it's not that fun. And it is true. Soccer and basketball, I would say as far as speed up and down, it is the most comparable. But you don't score as many goals. It's super hard to score in soccer. And there's way more running. Think about it. In 10 minutes, you break a sweat, score basketball, meet someone new, highly engaging activity. Basketball. Hey, fifth reason why Asians love basketball is that it's not brutal. I said brutal. It's not brutal. Can I write a check? Yeah, it's not a brutal. It's not that physical. It's not a physical. It's not brutal. It's not a brutal sport. Listen, basketball can be physical. Obviously, sometimes people get hurt. Sometimes people get in fights, but it's really not a brutal sport. It's not like you intend to be brutal. Unless you catch that punch. You Rudy Tomjanovich and you catch that punch. Yeah, or you catch the punch from or you get choked out. Asians in general, culturally are not super into brutality, whether it's rugby, football, or even really brutal fighting styles. Think about the other sports that Asians like to play that are popular amongst Asians. Asians love tennis, ping pong, soccer, badminton, swimming. Martial arts. Now, obviously, martial arts, the most brutal of them all. And then basketball, right below martial arts. But you never heard of Asians. You never heard of anybody losing brain cells shooting a free throw. That's why Asians love basketball, because it's physical enough, but it's not too physical. Reason number six why Asians love basketball is you can build a really strong community around basketball. Sports in general is a great way to bring people together. There's church leagues. There's family functions, family leagues. There's ethnic leagues. But, you know, for especially a lot of minorities in America, when you seek community, now, whether that's through church or sports league, you end up setting up sports leagues. And then, of course, of the sports that are a team sport, that's very social and fun to play for everybody, basketball is probably the number one choice. Basketball is a team community sport. It's very social. Everybody talks with each other. It's very, you can meet a lot of people through it and it's fun. So for a lot of minorities, especially most notably in America, the Japanese American, you know, community, it's been a long, long, long standing part of it. There's like nationals throughout the whole country, you know, whether it's for Chinese leagues or like Korean leagues, like there's Korean nationals, you know, Chinese nationals. PBL. Yeah. So it's like, it's crazy. It's globally, you know, networking everybody from like everywhere. Like, it's crazy, guys. There's actually things called the Korean Olympics and Chinese Olympics where it's just a bunch of like Chinese guys competing against other Chinese guys. I remember Rich was like, I don't think the Viet Church has got basketball leagues, but if they did, I'm in there. Yeah. And you know, even like Cameron House back in San Francisco, which is the center community hub of Chinatown, they have that most famous, one of the most famous basketball courts. In America, it's sitting on top of Cameron House in Chinatown. It kind of also, so basketball can be very democratic, as in everybody can score, everybody can get the ball. It can also equally be just as selfish, which I think plays into the Asian-ness too. So there's Asians who are like, yo, pass it 10 times, pass it 10 times. Everybody gets the ball. Even the trash, most trash person on the team. It has to touch it. Yeah, even the most trash person on the team can touch the ball and hit a shot or it can be dominated by one person. So basketball, very social sport. Great for community building. Love it. All right, guys. Number seven reason why Asians love basketball. Basketball has an uncanny resemblance to Kung Fu, man. Like, and martial arts in general. Yeah, you look like it when you play. Exactly. Me, particularly me. I know. More than us. Yeah. You know, between even the swift moves of Derek Rose, Vince Carter, Kyrie. Derek and Jordan flying through the air. I mean, look at Vince Carter after he dunked. Dude, there's so much resemblance. Kobe too. Up and unders. Up and unders, like wax on, wax off. I mean, if you look at that Gary Harris jelly he just had on Portland, that doesn't look like Kung Fu. Come on, you're telling me someone jumping through the air. Yeah, Gary Harris doing that doesn't look like some move from Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Or you're talking about James White jumping from the free throw line. Also, I'd say that Derek Jones Jr. throw in alley-oop this year. That looks a little bit like this one Shaolin move where you jump so high and then you kick on their head. Oh, there's kicking in basketball. Or Draymond kicking Stephen Adams in the nuts. Because in basketball, you use the same limbs and muscles that you do in martial arts, in a way. There's running, jumping, kicking, punching, some type of handling. Blocking. Yeah, you think dribbling through two defenders and going up to dunk is not kind of like an attack? Kind of. If you think about it this way, this is my thing. All right, so you think about martial arts, like you have a goal, right? The goal is to hit their face, you know, oftentimes. Just like you have a goal that you look up to in basketball, you try to put the ball in. So it's kind of like the same similar things where you just got to get through whoever you can and do whatever you can. Block, cut through, dribble through, whatever it is. Jump to, to get that goal. And whatever you do to hit this person in the face, same thing. Especially when I watch like Kung Fu forms or Wushu, where it's so acrobatic in the air. There are certain players that remind me so much of that. It looks like you're doing those Kung Fu forms, but against actual people that are trying to stop you. To dodge people. Because when you're doing the form, just like figure skating, it's not that you're not spinning through the air, but there's nobody trying to knock you on your ass while you're spinning through the air. In basketball, there's somebody really waiting to check you if they can. Hey, think about it. Or even just doing a spin move with the ball. Yeah. Or even just running around. No, using someone else's pressure and power and redirecting it. It's kind of like Judo, where you know how you pull the chair under people? Sometimes when you play defense, someone's backing down on you. You just let them go and use their momentum against them. Or like a swim through. Yeah, it's just like Judo, bro. Like you're just, and you're using your off arm to hook people. You're great at that, man. There's so many movies or like skits about Shaolin basketball. Actually, there's a movie called Shaolin Basketball. Yep. So it's very, it's, it's, you're using very similar movements and body parts. Think about it. James Harden is playing with a bloody eyeball because Draymond Green poked him in the eye. In martial arts, they... I got a chance to sit down with Vince Carter, one of my favorite players of all time. And I got to ask him a couple questions. One, what else do you want to be known for other than dunking? And he says, I think I'm a really good passer. I was like, okay. Yeah, I think you're an underrated passer. And then I said, yo, Vince, what do you think about basketball being compared to Kung Fu? And he goes, nah, nah, you're right. You're right. It is. It's very similar. Like this move. Nah, nah, you're right. You're right. It is. It's very similar. Vince Carter confirmed to me that basketball is like Kung Fu. My theory is correct. What if NBA players, when they go to China, have just replaced the Kung Fu masters from a previous generation? Number eight. The last eight. Number eight reason why Asians love basketball is because Asians love brands. And also the NBA particularly has the coolest cachet to it. Guys, NBA players are the most into brand names, most into fashion. They're the flashiest. They're the most famous. Well, J.R. Smith got a Supreme tattoo. They got the biggest personalities. They wear the most Supreme. Asians love Supreme. Asians love LV. NBA players also love all these brands too. NBA players are hypebeasts. Doc. They wear hella hypebeast shoes. I always say this. The people who are buying Off-White and LV and Gucci is really like NBA players, rappers, rich Asian immigrants, or just rich Asians, rich Asians in general. So that was eight reasons why Asians love basketball. And we know Asians love basketball. I'm not saying every single Asian loves basketball. In the comments below, let us know if you guys agree with it. If there's any reasons that we left out, let us know too. Let me know if you agree with the theory of basketball and Kung Fu. Yo, real quick. Why do you think despite the love of basketball from the Asian community, there's not a very high percentage of Asians playing high-level basketball globally? They put themselves down. Like you said, they think they're not good themselves. They don't give themselves a chance to begin with. Obviously, part of it is genetic in the sense that Asians are generally a little bit shorter. Their hands and their arms aren't as disproportionately long or big. That's why wingspan is such a huge thing in basketball. Asians will admire basketball more than they'll even train to be good at it themselves. Because they don't view it statistically as a viable career path. There's, yeah, not a lot of Asian coaches and mentors that will coach Asian kids legitimately. I think a lot of people just play for fun and just don't take it that seriously. Because when it gets too serious, maybe they feel like it takes the fun out of it. All other five of your friends can suck. But if you're playing three-on-three with your friends, you're going to have fun. Thank you, everybody, for watching that video on the eight reasons why Asians love basketball. And yes, we even threw in a little bit of talk at the end about why Asians might not be as good at basketball as they'd like to be. Relative to their love. So guys, thank you so much for watching that. I hope that was a really fun discussion. That was really fun for us. Let me know in the comments below if there's any reasons we left out of why you think Asians love basketball. Of what if you agree with our points. Maybe basketball and martial arts. Very similar. All right, guys. Thank you so much for watching that. This is Nelson Chamberlain, Hoopin' Life. He is an Asian hooper and dunker. That's David Fung from the Fung Bros. Andrew from the Fung Bros. Guys, that was eight reasons why Asians love basketball. By the way, you guys, you can't come in and say, we don't know what we're talking about. We follow this stuff close. We've worked with the NBA. I've been to the NBA finals. I'm just saying, it's valid. For sure, it's valid. Valid. Legit. Valid. Whatever you want to call it. All right, guys. Thank you so much for watching. Until next time, guys. We out. Peace.