Li Nan to coach Chinese men's national basketball team

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Li Nan will serve as head coach of the merged Chinese men's national basketball team, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) announced officially on Weibo on Wednesday.

Li was head coach of China's Team Red, while Du Feng coached Team Blue.

The Chinese Basketball Association announced Li Nan as head coach of China's national team on Weibo, September 26, 2018. /Screenshot from Weibo

Du returned to the Guangdong Southern Tigers, where he coached from 2013 to 2017 before being called up by the national team.

The merged team will now prepare for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, which takes place from August 31 to September 15 in eight cities across China.

In the two-team period, Li led Team Red to a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games, while Du's Team Blue has struggled in FIBA World Cup qualifying.

Du Feng (L) and Li Nan (C) greet each other before the match between China Team Blue and Jordan during the FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying rounds, Wukesong Indoor Stadium, Beijing, September 17, 2018. /VCG Photo

Li will also coach the national team in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games.

"If Li leads the national team to take part in the games, I bless him, because he has more responsibility and pressure," Du said. "The road to the World Cup is difficult, as we have a lot of young players and according to what we experienced before, that will bring the team huge pressure."

(Top image via VCG Photo)