Yao Ming Brings “Unity” and “Friendship” to North Korea

Well, both of China’s national basketball teams went to North Korea this week.

The national men’s team and women’s team are all in Pyongyang for a series of friendly exchanges, led by none other than Chinese basketball legend, ex-NBA player, and certified giant Yao Ming. Look, there he goes now:

In order to avoid national beef, the Chinese and Korean women’s teams were shuffled and mixed into a “Unity Team” and a “Friendship Team”, each consisting of six Chinese players and six Korean players. It’s a concept that was first seen in July, when North and South Korea mixed players to compete in a “Peace Team” and “Prosperity Team”. We’re not sure why they didn’t do the same with the men’s team. Harmony Team, Togetherness Team, Camaraderie Team… it’s not like they ran out of names.

North Korea’s sports minister Kim Il-suk said that the Chinese delegation’s visit marks a new chapter in North Korea-China friendship, and will deepen the unity and friendship (really trying to drive those concepts home, here) between the two countries’ people. Kim Jong-Un, a well-known basketball fan and friend of Dennis Rodman, was not in attendance.

Now who’s the superior team? Well, anyone who’s seen a basketball game in North Korea knows that their team is the best in the world. No need to look that up, it’s just true. But they also don’t have Yao Ming, so we’re going to side with China.

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