From sports illiteracy to "half a basket"

As long as the name of the famous Chinese basketball center Mu Tiezhu is mentioned, even people who do not know basketball will know a thing or two.

With a height of 2.28 meters and a burly figure, as long as Mu Tiezhu stands in the penalty area, no one can touch him. Those who defend him sometimes can't even see where the ball is. Mu Tiezhu basically doesn't have to jump up. He just needs to tiptoe and send the ball gently with one hand, and the basketball will go into the basket. In every game, he must score at least 20 or 30 points. In a public game against the Suzhou City team, he scored 80 points alone, which is called the Guinness record of Chinese basketball.

In 1979, the American college basketball team came to China for a friendly match under the banner of the U.S. national team. As a result, the Bayi team led by Mu Tiezhu was defeated twice in Beijing, causing a sensation in the basketball world. During the more than ten years that Mu Tiezhu was with the Bayi team, the Bayi team defeated all the invincible opponents in the country. Even in the competition with the Korean and Japanese national teams, they could win by 30 to 40 points. In 1981, the Bayi team won the first Asian Club Championship for China, and later participated in the World Club Championship. Mu Tiezhu was one of the five tiger players of the Bayi team at that time. He was called "half a basket" by the media at the time and became famous throughout Asia.

When Mu Tiezhu was at his most prosperous, he went to Donglaishun to eat. On the short few hundred meters from Wangfujing intersection to Donglaishun, he was often blocked by crowds for a long time before he could get out. Even now that Mu Tiezhu is out, there are many people asking for autographs. Mu Tiezhu's lover Wang Zhuanhong commented: "He was really a 'Big Mac' on the basketball court at that time, so awesome."

At that time, Mu Tiezhu had to run more than 10,000 yuan every day Meters, it takes twenty years to run. After participating in the Sixth National Games in 1987, Mu Tiezhu bid farewell to his basketball career. At that time, he was already 38 years old. If it were anyone else, he would have stopped playing in his thirties, but he still practices ten thousand meters every day.

Due to a bad heart condition, Mu Tiezhu could not coach the basketball team after retiring, but he was still passionate about basketball. Usually young players ask him questions, and he responds to their requests; some coaches have doubts about strategies and tactics, and Mu Tiezhu will help analyze them without reservation; in his spare time, Mu Tiezhu also always pays attention to the NBA, CBA, and the national team. various basketball games. "Although Chinese basketball has been professionalized now, it is not good enough. It did not do well in the Asian Games and did not enter the top eight in the World Championships." When talking about the Bayi team, Mu Tiezhu said with concern: "The military's basketball team It’s difficult to bring in foreign players. Although the Bayi team is better now, it will be hard to say in a few years. "Mu Tiezhu is often remembered by fans for his heroic appearance and domination of the field, but from then on. A sports-savvy person who is the core figure of the team, he has experienced many unknown physical and mental tests.

Although Mu Tiezhu is very tall, he has no sports foundation and is even much worse than ordinary people. Mu Tiezhu's coach Ma Qingsheng once described Mu Tiezhu when he first joined the team: very stupid. Halfway across the field, he raised his legs high, from one side to the other, until he reached thirteen meters. Before he was even ten meters away, he couldn't stand it anymore and vomited. In 2004, Mu Tiezhu was interviewed by Phoenix TV host Lu Yu. Lu Yu asked him if he had ever felt that he was not suitable for playing basketball. He said: "It's possible, but I don't really understand. It's okay if I can't play anyway." , it doesn’t matter if you play, just practice, just practice with your life.”

This situation did not change until Yu Bangji appeared. Yu Bangji was the director of the Sports Committee of Huangshi City, Hubei Province at the time, and later served as the head coach of the Bayi Basketball Team. Yu Bangji took a fancy to Mu Tiezhu's height advantage and asked him to move to Huangshi from the National Sports Commission. It was here that Mu Tiezhu really began to receive professional basketball training. "We will teach him a few skills. One is the ability to catch the ball. If you don't take it off after you get the ball, you will turn around and shoot. Then there is the footwork. After catching it, you can practice it, because footwork is very important in basketball. The center It’s even more important. Once he practices free throws and raises his defensive hand, let him practice a few simple moves so that he can use them on the court.” After practicing basketball with his mentor Yu Bangji for a year and a half, Mu Tiezhu joined the Bayi team.

With his excellent height and increasingly mature skills, Mu Tiezhu quickly became the main force. The Bayi team has won the National League A championship many times, and Mu Tiezhu has contributed a lot to it.

Mu Tiezhu not only has excellent inside singles skills, but also has very good passing ability, which makes him stand out in the opponent's inside line. It is precisely with such a strong inside power that Mu Tiezhu To become the leader of the Chinese team. He is a powerful threat in the opponent's hinterland. He is good at coordinating with outside players and creating shooting opportunities for internal and external attacks. He has the ability to hold the ball with one hand for long passes and pass and fake shots. In addition, he has extraordinary shooting skills. With his big hands and unique height, he has the ball in his hands as he pleases.