Bateer hails from China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Like most Mongols, he does not have a surname and only goes by the name Mönkhbaatar (lit. eternal hero). Chinese fans also sometimes refer to him affectionately as "Da Ba" (大巴), with Da meaning "big" and Ba representing the first character of his name in Mandarin.[2]
At 210 cm and 132 kg,[3] Bateer was a strong center widely respected as an accomplished screen-setter and passer, despite being severely hindered over the years by a lack of speed. His prowess as a passer was put on full display during one of his earliest NBA games when he made six assists against the Chicago Bulls on March 30, 2002.[4]
As of his official retirement in 2015, Bateer holds three notable distinctions: he was the only Chinese player to have played in the NBA without being selected in any NBA draft until Cui Yongxi signed with the Brooklyn Nets in 2024; he was the first player of Aisan descent to win an NBA championship; and he was the first Chinese player to have been on a title-winning roster, taking part in the San Antonio Spurs' triumphant 2003 season. His compatriot Sun Yue also accomplished this achievement as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers when they won the NBA championship in 2009.[5] Coincidentally, Bateer and Sun would win the 2014 CBA championship for the Beijing Ducks together, making them the first, and so far only, Chinese players to win both the NBA and CBA finals; a feat matched only by American player Eric Moreland in 2022.
Bateer was also the first-ever Chinese player to start an NBA game when he joined the Denver Nuggets in 2002. Yao Ming would become the second Chinese player to do so later in that year and Wang Zhizhi, despite being the first-ever Chinese player to join the league, did not start in a game until years later.
Early basketball career
Brought up through the youth ranks by the Beijing Ducks, Mengke Bateer made his debut for China's national basketball team prior to the 1994 Asian Games, at the age of 18. Three years later, although a regular member of the playing rotation, he was removed from the national squad due to "disciplinary problems" as reported in the media. Often presented to the public as a filial son, Bateer would attempt several times over the course of his career to leave his teams, and return to his family.
While training with China's national team in 1999, Bateer was invited to play in a pre-draft tournament held in Phoenix, where he suffered from jet lag and did not impress the scouts in attendance. He also made a brief appearance at another pre-draft venue, in Treviso, Italy. But he would have to wait several more years to play in the NBA, staying with the Ducks from the 1997–98 CBA season through the 2001–02 season, and earning MVP honors at the 2002 CBA All-Star Game.
NBA career
Denver Nuggets (2002)
In October 2001, Bateer joined the Denver Nuggets for the team's preseason training camp. He was dropped after two preseason games, but in March 2002, already deep into the 2001–02 NBA season, he rejoined the team, as the Nuggets were in desperate need of a player with big stature after trading Raef LaFrentz. This made him the second Chinese player to compete in the NBA after Wang Zhizhi, who had made his debut for the Dallas Mavericks a year earlier. He was also the first undrafted Chinese player in NBA history.
Bateer played in Denver's final 25 games of the season, averaging 5.5 points while battling fouls from opponents. Due to the shortage of the players with big stature in the Nuggets roster, he also ended up in the starting 10 of those contests, becoming the first Chinese player to ever start an NBA game, as Wang never made it into the starting line-up during his time with the Mavericks.
San Antonio Spurs (2002–2003)
In summer 2002, Bateer was traded to the Detroit Pistons, along with Don Reid, for Rodney White and a future first-round pick. But after an impressive show against Team USA at the 2002 FIBA World Championship in Indianapolis, where he scored 19 points (also leading China in scoring in five of seven games during the tournament) for a squad that also included the just-draftedYao Ming, Team USA assistant coach Gregg Popovich, who was also the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, decided to take a chance on Bateer and acquired him in exchange for a second-round pick.
Despite playing only occasionally with the Spurs, Bateer was nonetheless a member of San Antonio's 2002–03 championship team.
Mengke Bateer rejoined the Beijing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association in mid-February 2005, a couple of weeks before the end of the 2004–05 CBA season, and was named MVP of the 2005 CBA All-Star Game, which was held in Nanjing on March 7, after the regular season concluded. He scored a contest-best 28 points while leading the North to a 103–99 victory over the South.[6]
During the 2005–06 CBA season, Bateer helped Beijing win a then-franchise-best CBA North Division title, while averaging 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. He was originally chosen to be named the league's Regular Season MVP, but he had the honor vacated due to a rule forbidding players who were slapped with suspensions from receiving any awards (earlier in the season, he incurred the heaviest fine in CBA history for arguing with a referee, and sat out two games as a result).[7]
Bateer then missed the 2006–07 CBA season due to injuries, and subsequently moved from the Ducks to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, where he spent the next six years of his career.[8] During his time in Xinjiang, he became the first player to ever "three-peat" as CBA Most Valuable Player, winning the honor in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The Flying Tigers also advanced to the CBA Finals in each of those years, but failed to win the title, falling to the Guangdong Southern Tigers on all three occasions.
After a brief stint with the Sichuan Blue Whales in China's lower-tier NBL in summer 2013, just as the team was preparing join the CBA, Bateer returned to the Beijing Ducks for the 2013–14 CBA season. More of a role player by that point in his career, he nonetheless provided an occasionally useful presence in the front court for Beijing, and helped the Ducks win their second CBA title.
Bateer played briefly with NBL team Shaanxi Weinan Xingda in the summer of 2014, but did not compete during the 2014–15 CBA season. Some reports in the Chinese media stated that he was struggling with complications from the onset of diabetes. On August 11, 2015, he was honored with an official retirement ceremony held at the Beijing Wukesong Culture & Sports Center.[10] The event was attended by former national team squadmates Wang Zhizhi, Du Feng, Wang Shipeng, and Zhu Fangyu, as well as NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon.[11]Yao Ming sent a videotaped farewell message and the evening climaxed with Bateer's number 9 jersey being lifted to the arena's rafters.[12]
