Is Westbrook coming to the CBA? A farce sparked by betting odds

#TopCreatorIncentivePlan#Is Westbrook coming to the CBA? Xinjiang’s odds have surged to fourth place? When you read this, congrats—you’re watching the biggest joke of the CBA offseason unfold.

Ignoring whether the CBA’s foreign player salary cap can satisfy Westbrook’s requirements, it’s absurd that numerous self-media outlets are passing off betting company odds as genuine news.

This flawed rumor, carrying an April Fools’ Day vibe, has spread widely across domestic internet platforms. It highlights the traffic anxiety among basketball self-media bloggers during the offseason: no real scoop? How do I post content today? Finally catching a high-traffic story—NBA’s triple-double king coming to the CBA, complete with seemingly credible odds—how could they not maximize the value of this news? I neither spread falsehoods nor fabricated anything; this was reported abroad, and I’m simply relaying it. With this mindset, countless sports self-media bloggers on major domestic platforms rushed in—some seriously analyzing, some making jokes, some vehemently denying, others pretending to dissect possibilities. They tried every angle and stance to squeeze every drop out of this story. Photoshopped images flooded in, aiming to entertain endlessly.

In my view, the deeper reason is that platforms are already anxious about the lack of star power in the upcoming CBA season. Rising players like Yang Hansen, Zeng Fanbo, Lin Wei, and Yu Jiahao definitely won’t appear in the CBA next season. As the NBA’s all-time triple-double leader and regular season MVP, Westbrook’s fame perfectly meets CBA fans’ expectations for a “top-tier superstar.” This also reflects the league’s struggle with insufficient influence from domestic stars and the dim star power of foreign players.

Looking back, when Jeremy Lin joined the CBA, how many new fans got hooked and how hard it was to get tickets for away games. Stars truly can boost the basketball market and impact the sports industry. But as industry insiders, we should think about how to turn this sport into a nationwide celebration even when star power is faint. Look at village basketball leagues or the Scottish Premiership—maybe there lies the answer.