China and Taiwan are preferred destinations for former NBA players looking to continue playing basketball.

Noah Vonleh details shocking experience playing in China

Many basketball stars find their way to play for overseas teams when they do not find work back at home. Some do end up having a great experience. However, some have experiences that force them to leave those teams. Former Boston Celtics star Noah Vonleh detailed such a situation that developed between him and the Shanghai Sharks of the CBA.

The former 10-year NBA veteran took to his social media to detail the harrowing experience he had to endure. He labeled Shanghai Sharks as the worst organization and called them unprofessional. Moreover, Vonleh detailed the unprofessional tactics used by the team to force him to play.

The Sharks tried to rush me back many times and told team doctors and doctors outside of the team to lie to me and tell me I’m ok to play. I wasn’t ready to return to play. The general manager tells the hotel to send people to my room to force me out of there. There’s six people coming to my room trying to break in and grab me out the room. They using weapons to try and break in and threatening me saying all kind of things.”

Noah Vonleh via Instagram Stories

Vonleh added that the Shanghai Sharks wrongly terminated his contract. They are yet to pay him bonuses and salary. This is a horrifying experience for anyone working outside their home country. There will be no one to turn to if things take a turn for the worse. After playing for the Boston Celtics, Vonleh had to look for work abroad after options in the NBA dwindled.

Noah Vonleh was just trying to earn for the hard work he was putting in. Instead, this harrowing experience serves as a warning for other players looking to go overseas. Moreover, some other players have also experienced a similar ordeal when going abroad to the east.

NBA stars heading to the Far East have mixed experiences

Former NBA players looking to head to China or Taiwan are going with the sole interest of earning money. After all, they have to feed themselves. However, not every experience turns out to be all hunky dory. Time and again stories have come out where players express their unhappiness with the situation. But the need to earn kept them going.

Former Phoenix Suns guard Sonny Weems faced racial abuse from Chinese fans, which ended up forcing the CBA to step in. However, he still continues to play in China to this day. Former NBA Champion Dwight Howard might be the most famous NBA star to play in that region. But even he faced issues with his contract.

Therefore, it is a case of having to be careful and aware of the situation one is in, considering all the stories that have come out. The experience Noah Vonleh has faced in the CBA is rare, but it still suggests that it is not all smooth sailing wherever they go.