“I spent forty minutes signing autographs after the match.” Shved’s agent tells how the Russian basketball player lives in China

At the end of October, a Russian basketball player Alexei Shved moved to the Chinese lungs of Shanxi. The defender has already played six matches for the team and helped the Taiyuan team win five of them.

We contacted his agent Obrad Fimić and discussed the Russian’s adaptation to the Celestial Empire, difficulties due to the language barrier, the strength of the local championship, popularity among fans, as well as the reasons for which Shved failed to join Euroleague clubs and the lack of offers from the VTB United League.

— Alexey Shved has already played six matches after moving to China. Does he like everything?

— Yes, Alexei adapts quickly. This is not his first trip abroad, before that he had already visited the NBA. It is clear that China is a completely different world, a different way of life.

But the schedule is very tight, they play every two or three days. The Swede therefore concentrates entirely on basketball. Additionally, he didn’t play for almost half a year. I miss you.

Yes, it’s a little more difficult with the family, since there are young children. But overall, everyone likes it. We didn’t expect that the city of Taiyuan itself (the administrative center of Shanxi province – editor’s note from ) would leave such a positive impression.

— Did I understand correctly that Alexei moved his entire family at once?

– Exactly. They all moved in together at the same time. We were waiting for special permission for this. Usually other players weren’t allowed, but he was. Maybe because he’s Russian. There are therefore positive aspects in certain countries in this regard.

We were provided with two large hotel rooms. Usually they only give one, but here they give two at once. We were allowed to cook at the hotel. The hotel itself is of a very good standard. The guys say they really like everything.

The only thing is that there are slight difficulties in moving around the city, because in Asia, in principle, people communicate little in English. It’s understandable. It’s a huge country, why do they need this…

— So there is still a language barrier?

– Yes a little bit. It is mainly associated with movement, with taxis. But they just moved. Therefore, I think they will always understand it.

— You said it was allowed to cook at the hotel. How did your relationship with Chinese cuisine develop?

— Alexey and the family like it! But when you have young children, you can’t eat out all the time. Therefore, Nastya (the wife of the Swede – approx. ) cooks for children at the hotel, and the parents themselves often eat in the restaurant. They say it is very tasty. The food there is perfectly suited to us Europeans.

— Have any obvious problems arisen in Chinese life?

— So far, there are no unpleasant situations or moments that we cannot handle. The only obstacle is communication, as I said. You must communicate through a translator. But this is a common situation. Often, foreign basketball players in Asia must communicate through an interpreter.

— What are Alexey’s impressions of the level of Chinese basketball?

— The game is different from the European game. She’s faster. I think it suits him. It is clear that in Europe the level is higher, but in China the style of play is more comparable to that of the NBA. Contacts are allowed, a shift lasts 12 minutes. Yes, there is more emphasis on “physics”, but there is not as strict protection. For Alexey it is very comfortable. He can create a situation to shoot and pass freely to his teammates. I see. He has already achieved a double-double in several games, and a triple-double in one.

— How was Shved welcomed into the team itself?

– Alright! The club analyzed and studied him at length before signing him. The coach liked that Alexey could play for the team. After all, the majority of foreign and American visitors play for themselves – they try to score as many goals as possible. Alexey plays with local players and improves them. Plus, there was a young team there.

Alexey has developed good synergy with his coach and his partners. And since his arrival, Shanxi has won five times and lost only once. It was therefore accepted. The team has two translators and communicates mainly through them. Fans are also happy to see him in the team, and Lesha has become a leader. Not the first time.

I was afraid of what things would be like after such a long break. He trained all summer with Victor (with his father – around “”), kept in shape. But we waited a long time to find a new club.

– Why did it take so long for everything to be decided?

— There have been conversations with European teams. As you remember, many wrote about Red Star, but in the end the whole situation in the world influenced us, which is why we could not settle there… At the same time, there had teams that weren’t bothered by this. There were offers from two Spanish clubs. A big club, but a small financial offer. The second is normal in terms of money, but we still did not accept it.

In the end, I think Lesha made the right decision. Of course, I wanted him to continue his career where he would have the opportunity to play in the Euroleague. But in the end, everything is fine. Discovery of a new market. I think he will be able to continue his career in China for a few more years.

— How come political problems prevented the move to Red Star? It seems to be Serbia, it should have been easier.

— An issue immediately arose with a possible trip to the Euroleague game in Lithuania. He couldn’t get in there. The leaders of the Belgrade club anticipated this. Additionally, this year there is a playout system, so many teams will fight head-to-head for the playoffs. And they thought that if Zalgiris was the opponent, it wouldn’t be very practical. As a result, Crvena Zvezda changed her mind about signing Alexei.

— Given the considerable interest from Euroleague teams, the question arises: was there really no possibility of remaining in the VTB United League?

— We have not received any offers. It turns out that the most successful Russian player of the last ten years, the best basketball player in the country after Kirilenko, did not receive any offers from Russia! ALL RIGHT. But he discovered new horizons and took a new step in his career by settling in China. Now it appeals to Chinese fans. This could be heard during one of the matches, where the audience chanted MVP after his entrance, and then he signed autographs forty minutes after the match.

— Weren’t you upset by the lack of offers from Russia?

— To be honest, I was personally offended. The Serbian team showed interest. Yes, there is Dushko Ivanovich, under whom Alexey played his best basketball in Khimki. But stay. And there were offers from Spain, but not from Russia…

Okay, that’s life. Apparently it was supposed to happen. Over the past four years, we have constantly received offers from Chinese teams. Even when the last contract was re-signed with Khimki, there was a moment when a very good offer came from China. And the real question was whether we were going to leave. It turns out that three years later, he finally found himself in China. What is supposed to happen is happening.

— Can we say that the Swede has already become one of the favorites of the Chinese public?

– Yes. Still, Alexey is a very bright person as an athlete and a person in general. Long hair, nice guy. He also plays fantastically. That’s why the city’s residents already recognize it. In addition, basketball is very popular there. It probably comes first in terms of popularity among team sports.

— In this context, has the prospect of major advertising contracts already presented itself?

– Not yet. After all, he’s only been here for the first month. However, there are already requests from other parties, clubs, what are his plans for next season, for the summer. After all, there are two leagues in China: the CBA and the NBL. The NBL can also pay well for a player, which is why some teams are showing interest for the summer. But it’s too early to talk about it. Let’s see how everything goes next. If he continues to play so well in his schedule, then he will have no problem in CBA next year: stay in Shanxi or go elsewhere.

— In the street, do the fans let Alexei pass?

– They do. But like I said, the schedule is very tight. He hadn’t yet had time to fully enjoy his free time here and wander around the city enough. The family makes more visits. Lesha is busy with her work.

— But surely he is also waiting for the moment to discover the culture?

– Yes. There will be a break in December, the FIBA ​​window. Rest a little and look around you.