Australian National Basketball League (ANBL) club Sydney Kings have signed up Liu Bo of the Shenzen Leopards and became the first team in the league to ever sign a Chinese-born player.

Bo, 20, will be joining the three-time ANBL champion team fin or the upcoming season as a development player in a loan deal.

Like Us on Facebook

According to The Dominion Post, the Chinese professional basketball player said that the chance to link with the multi-titled and well-known Australian basketball icon Andrew Gaze was an opportunity too good to pass up.

"He's very strict. But off court, he makes funny jokes, talks about everything," Bo said. "And he jokes around with me. That type of personality is something different to the type of coaches I've so far had in China."

Bo initially met the 53-year-old head coach when he signed and played with the Melbourne Tigers' SEBAL side in March. He played a total of 24 games for the team and was able to convince Gaze that he was ready to play in the country's top basketball league.

"Liu has been coached by Brian, and worked under Nik Popovic, so he has great work habits and is fundamentally sound," Gaze said. "He is also a high energy guy, runs the floor really well and is super aggressive on the defensive end. He added.

According to Fox Sports, Bo's contract with the AEG Ogden-owned basketball club is part of the wider plans of the NBL to engage with China and its pre-eminent CBA league.

China is home to more than 300 million registered basketball players.

This is largely why the NBL announced plans to include two Chinese professional basketball teams in the pre-season Australian Basketball Challenge (ABC) in Brisbane from September 23 to 26.

TagsLiu Bo, chinese basketball association, National Basketball League, andrew gaze, shenzen leopards