Basketball final today but China look ahead

As the US play Spain in the mens basketball final, talks are already underway to help the sport grow in China.

After beating Argentina, the US will aim for a gold medal against Spain who defeated Lithuania in the other semi-final.

BEIJING // As the Chinese spectators file in to watch today's United States v Spain men's basketball final, talks are already underway to help the sport grow in the country. China lost to Lithuania in the quarter-finals. The National Basketball Association and their Chinese counterpart are in talks to cooperate on developing the sport in China. The NBA commissioner David Stern said they would deal with the state-run Chinese Basketball Association to improve the level of play, sponsorship deals, marketing and even hosting NBA pre-season games in China. "We are discussing potentially how the league will look, but there is no timetable to that," Stern said. The departure of the Chinese stars like Yi Jianlian and Yao Ming to the NBA have left the domestic league struggling to attract fans and sponsors. "We are committed to developing its grassroots and the league's presence," said Stern. But the nature of the CBA - a hodgepodge of state-owned, corporate sponsored and private teams - is making progress in the discussions a slow process.

* Reuters