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The middle-aged basketball player who lost a game and got slammed for his attitude

China's men's basketball team lost to the Philippines in the semifinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games on Thursday.

After China's men's basketball team suffered an upset loss to the Philippines, the team left without holding a promised press conference, drawing criticism from local reporters.

The Chinese men's basketball team lost the men's basketball semifinals against the Philippines 76-77 the previous day, ending their hopes of reaching the finals, according to local media including Sina Weibo and CCTV.

Chinese men's basketball is one of the most popular professional sports in China. In the past, the team has won several Asian Games and Asian Cups, but in recent years, the team hasn't been as successful.

The Chinese team dominated the Philippines early on, leading by as many as 20 points at one point in the second quarter before falling behind with 23.3 seconds left in the game.

After losing the game, the Chinese players did not hold the press conference they had promised. The press box was empty, and the waiting Chinese reporters were furious.

"What do you expect if they don't show up for the press conference?" the local reporters yelled.

After a flurry of protests, the Chinese team announced that the press conference would resume, which it did after 30 minutes.

However, the simultaneous translator had already returned to the athletes' village, so a volunteer took over, and the translation was not done properly, with a basketball reporter from CCTV translating the coach's words.

A 'basketball hero' arrives late to the press conference "I couldn't attend the press conference because I was in a hurry to leave after the game, which is my responsibility as a leader," said Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Captain Zhao Jiwei apologized for the upset, saying, "We didn't concentrate enough in the second half of the game, and the opponent took advantage when we had many problems, such as rushing the offense."