Mengke Bateer

Mengke Bateer, also known simply as Bateer in China, is a former professional basketball player from Inner Mongolia. He played center for the NBA for parts of three seasons, winning the NBA Finals in one of them.

Early Life, Family & Education

On November 20, 1975, former NBA player, Mengke Bateer was born in Hanggin Banner, Inner Mongolia, China.

Mengke has not provided any information about his family. His family name is therefore unknown.

Furthermore, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China is home to the Bateer, a member of the minority-dominant ethnic group.

Furthermore, Bateer hasn’t mentioned anything about his academic background. He naturally received his education in China since he was both born and raised there.

Age, Height, and Body Measurements

In 2022, Mengke turned 46 years old. He has an athletic build and he stands at a height of 6’11” (2.11 m) tall. He weighs about 132 kilograms (290 lbs).

Early Career

The Beijing Ducks promoted Bateer through the youth ranks.

Prior to the Asian Games in 1994, he made his national basketball team debut for China at the age of 18.

Similar to that, three years later, Bateer was kicked off the national team for conduct issues despite being a reliable player in the rotation.

As Mengke repeatedly tried to leave his teams and go back to his family throughout his career, he was frequently portrayed to the public as a filial son.

In addition, Bateer was invited to participate in a pre-draft tournament in Phoenix in 1999 while working out with the Chinese national team.

Mengke also made a brief appearance at a different pre-draft event that was held in Treviso, Italy.

He remained with the Ducks from the 1997–1998 CBA season through the 2001–2002 season, delaying his entry into the NBA by a few more years.

NBA Career 

Additionally, in October 2001, Mengke became a member of the Denver Nuggets during preseason training.

He was released by the Nuggets after just two preseason games, but he later returned in March 2002 after the team had traded Raef LaFrentz and was in desperate need of a player of his caliber.

As a result, Mengke became the second basketball player from China to play in the NBA, joining Wang Zhizhi.

Wang made his NBA debut with the Dallas Mavericks a year ago. Bateer also made NBA history by becoming the first undrafted Chinese player.

Mengke also participated in the Nuggets’ final 25 games of the campaign, where he averaged 5.5 points per game while battling opponent fouls.

Mengke became the first Chinese player to ever start an NBA game, much like how Mengke found himself in the starting 10 of those games due to the Nuggets’ roster lacking players of significant height.

Nevertheless, Wang was never able to crack the starting lineup while playing for the Mavericks.

Last Few Seasons in NBA

In addition, Bateer signed with the Toronto Raptors as a free agent the following season. However, the Raptors later traded Mengke to the Orlando Magic, who later released him three days later.

Mengke received a training camp invitation from the New York Knicks as a result, but he was later cut before the 2004–2005 NBA season.

Mengke played for the Huntsville Flight of the National Basketball Development League for a while after being released by the Knicks before he made the decision to go back to China.

National Team Career

Bateer has represented the Chinese basketball team in addition to playing for various NBA and CBA basketball clubs.

Mengke also competed for China in the Atlanta, Sydney, and Athens Summer Olympic Games in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

Retirement

In an effort to keep fit, Mengeke also spent a brief period of time in 2014 playing for the NBL team Shaanxi Weinan Xingda.

However, Mengke did not play in the 2014–15 CBA season because, according to reports, he was having complications from the onset of diabetes.

A formal retirement ceremony for Mengke was also held on August 11th, 2015, at the Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center.

Former national team teammates Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu, Wang Zhizhi, Du Feng, and Hakeem Olajuwon also attended the event.

Yao Ming also sent a taped farewell message, and the evening culminated with the raising of Mengke’s number 9 jersey to the arena’s rafters.

In a similar vein, Bateer was the first NBA champion of Asian descent.

Additionally, Bateer and Sun are the first and only players to have won both the NBA Finals and CBA Finals. They both joined the 2014 CBA champion Beijing Ducks.

In addition, Bateer became the first Chinese player to ever start an NBA game when he signed with the Denver Nuggets in 2002.

Net Worth & Salary

Since 1997, Banteer has competed in professional basketball. Since then, up until his retirement, he has had a fairly prosperous career.

Although he hasn’t given any information about his career earnings, based on his prior career, we can assume that-

MENGKE BATEER’S NET WORTH IS ESTIMATED TO BE AROUND $1-$5 MILLION.

Wife and Children

As we all know, Bateer keeps his personal matters very private. There is no information available about his wife as a result.

According to the information Mengke has provided thus far, they go by the names Niu-Niu and Difeilana Bateer.

Social Media

Former NBA player, Mengke is not active on social media. It seems that he prefers to keep his life out of social media.

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FAQs

Who entered an NBA game as the first Chinese player?

When he signed with the Dallas Mavericks in April, Wang Zhizhi, a 23-year-old former star with the military-owned Bayi Rockets, made history by becoming the first Chinese-born NBA player.

Who plays basketball the best in China?

Ming became the third Chinese player to ever play in the NBA when he was selected by the Houston Rockets in the 2002 NBA Draft.

What makes basketball so popular in China?

Only 15 years after the first YMCA in China, basketball in China grew quickly enough to become an event in the 1910 and 1914 National Games.

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