This qualitative study examined and analyzed the migration factors that influenced professional American basketball players to move and compete in China, specifically the push-pull factors that contributed to their migration to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Although basketball is a well-studied and highly popular sport, the CBA is one of the least studied professional leagues in terms of sports migration theory research, yet has a sizable international labor force, especially American basketball players. This study was built upon the theoretical framework of previously researched sports labor migration, which assisted the data analysis process. The sample of this study included ten professional American basketball players who played in the CBA during the 2017-2018 season, many of whom have played in the NBA. This qualitative research used in-person, semi-structured interviews, with questions focused on the push-pull factors, such as the reasons to why they migrated to China and their experiences playing in the CBA. Based on the results of this study, the data uncovered some major trends: firstly, American basketball players leave the U.S. because of lack of playing opportunities, secondly, China has a desirable competition league for American basketball players, along with substantial financial gains, thirdly, the structure of the league, primarily the season length, proved to be a great pull factor for the CBA, and lastly, the CBA still can improve as it considers expanding and adding more teams.

Agergaard, S. (2017). Learning in landscapes of professional sports: transnational perspectives on talent development and migration into Danish women’s handball around the time of the financial crisis, 2004–2012. Sport in Society, 20(10), 1457-1469, doi: 10.1080/17430437.2016.1221068

Agergaard, S. (2008). Elite athletes as migrants in Danish women’s handball. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 43(1), 5-19. doi: 10.1177/1012690208093471

Borges, M., Rosado, A., Oliveira, R., & Freitas, F. (2015). Coaches’ migration: A qualitative analysis of recruitment, motivations and experiences. Leisure Studies, 34(5), 588–602.

Botelho, V. L., & Agergaard, S. (2011). Moving for the love of the game? International migration of female footballers into Scandinavian countries. Soccer & Society, 12(6), 806-819. doi: 10.1080/14660970.2011.609681

Britannica (2017). Human migration. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/human-migration

Carling, J., & Collins, F. (2017). Aspiration, desire and drivers of migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2017.1384134

Carter, T. F. (2011). In foreign fields: The politics and experiences of transnational sport migration. London: Pluto Press.

Castillo-Montoya, M. (2016). Preparing for interview research: The interview protocol refinement framework. The Qualitative Report, 21(5), 811-831.

Cerdin, JL., Diné, M., & Brewster, C. J. (2014). Qualified immigrants’ success: Exploring the motivation to migrate and to integrate. Journal of International Business Studies, 45(2), 151-168. doi:10.1057/jibs.2013.45

China Through a Lens (2018). Chinese basketball association. Retrieved from http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/2004-2005cba/118959.htm

De Jong, G. F. (2000). Expectations, gender, and norms in migration decision-making. A Journal of Demography, 54(3), 307-319. doi: 10.1080/713779089

Elliott, R. (2012). New Europe, new chances? The migration of professional footballers to Poland’s ekstraklasa. International Review of the Sociology of Sport, 48(6), 736-750

ESchoolToday (2017). What are the pull and push factors of migration? Retrieved from http://eschooltoday.com/migration/the-pull-and-push-factors-of-migration.html

ESPN (2018). NBA player salaries- 2017-2018. Retrieved from http://www.espn.com/nba/salaries

Frick, B. (2009). Globalization and factor mobility: The impact of the ``Bosman-ruling'' on player migration in professional soccer. Journal of Sports Economics, 10(1), 88-106. doi: 10.1177/1527002508327399

Gawel, J. E. (1997). Herzberg's theory of motivation and maslow's hierarchy of needs. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 5(11), 1-3. Retrieved from http://PAREonline.net/getvn.asp?v=5&n=11

Glaser, B. (1992). Emergence vs forcing: Basics of grounded theory analysis. Mill Valley, CA: Sociology Press.

Hsu, J. (2014). Your 2014 guide to the Chinese basketball association. Retrieved from www.sheridanhoops.com/2014/01/04/your-2014-guide-to-the-chinese-basketball-association/

Huang, F. (2013). Globalization of sport: The NBA's diffusion in China. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 30(3), 267-284. doi: 10.1080/09523367.2012.760997

Huang, F., & Hong, F. (2015). Globalization and the governance of Chinese sports: The case of professional basketball. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 32(8), 1030-1043. doi: 10.1080/09523367.2015.1035261

International Organization for Migration [IOM] (2011). Key migration terms. International Migration Law Series No. 25. Retrieved from https://www.iom.int/key-migration-terms

International Olympic Committee (2015). Basketball: History of basketball at the Olympic games. Olympic Studies Centre. Retrieved from Studies.centre@olympic.org.

Jackson, N., Thompson, A., Lee, M., Rotich, J., & Fuller, T. (2017). Impact of spectator motivation on long-term sustainability for women’s basketball league. Journal of Human Sciences, 14(1), 519-527. doi:10.14687/jhs.v14i1.4202

Jackson, S. J., & Andrews, D. L. (1996). Excavating the (trans)national basketball association: Locating the global/local nexus of America’s world and the world’s America. Australasian Journal of American Studies, 15(1), 57-64.

Kainth, G. S. (2009). Push and pull factors of migration: A case of brick kiln industry of Punjab state. Asia-Pacific Journal of Social Sciences, 1(1), 82-116.

Lam, L. (2017). Chinese basketball association. Retrieved from http://www.sinolatamforum.com/opiniones_detalle/1-m177-358/the-chinese-basketball-association

Lee, E. S. (1966). A theory of migration. Demography, 3(1), 47-57. doi: 10.2307/2060063

Lee, S., & Brownlee, E. (2017). Labour migration to Chinese super league: An examination of UK newspapers from Anelka in 2011 to Tevez in 2017. Asia Pacific Journal of Sport ad Social Science, 6(3), 248-266. doi: 10.1080/21640599.2017.1380271

Li, M., & Bray, M. (2007). Cross-border flows of students for higher education: Push–pull factors and motivations of mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau. Higher Education, 53, 791–818. doi: 10.1007/s10734-005-5423-3

Love, A., & Kim, S. (2011). Sport labor migration and collegiate sport in the United States: A typology of migrant athletes. Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics, 4, 90-104. Retrieved from http://csri-jiia.org

Luo, L., Lai, Y., & Huang, F. (2015). Globalization and the rise of the Chinese basketball market. The International Journal of the History of Sport, 32(10), 1321-1335, doi: 10.1080/09523367.2015.1066992

Magee, J. (2013). Book review: In foreign fields: The politics and experiences of transnational sport migration. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 48(4), 505-509. doi:10.1177/1012690212467527

Magee, J., & Sugden, J. (2002). The world at their feet: Professional football and international labor migration. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 26(4), 421-437. doi: 10.1177/0193732502238257


Maguire, J. (1999). Global sport: Identities, societies, civilizations. Cambridge: Polity.

Maguire, J. (2004). Sports labour migration revisited. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 28(4), 477-482.

Maguire, J. (2008). ‘Real politic’ or ‘ethically based’: Sport, globalization, migration and nation-state policies. Sport in Society, 11(4), 443-458. doi: 10.1080/17430430802019375

Maguire, J., Jarvie, G., Bradley, J., & Mansfield, L. (2002). Sport, labor and migration. In M. Schrag (Ed.) Sport worlds: A sociological perspective (p.26-45). Champagne, IL: Human Kinetics.

Maguire, J., & Pearton, R. (2000). Global sport and the migration patterns of France ‘98 World Cup finals players: Some preliminary observations. Soccer & Society 1, 175-189. doi: 10.1080/14660970008721257

Maguire, J., & Stead, D. (1998). Border crossings: Soccer labour migration and the European union. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 33(1), 59-73. doi: 10.1177/101269098033001005

Martin, P., & Zurcher, G. (2008). Managing migration: The global challenge. Population Bulletin, 63(1), 1-19.


Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370- 96. Retrieved from http://www.researchhistory.org/2012/06/16/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs/

McLeod, S. A. (2007). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. CT2 Paper 1 – Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

McLeod, S. A. (2018). Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html

Mejia, A., Pizurki, H., & Royston, E. (1979). Physician and nurse migration: Analysis and policy implications. Geneva: World Health Organization.

Miller, T., Lawrence, G., McKay, J., & Rowe, D. (2001). Globalization and sport. London: SAGE.

NBA (2017). Retrieved from http://www.nba.com/?23#/

Niubball (2017). CBA FAQ. Retrieved from http://www.niubball.com/cba-faq/

Olympics (2018). Basketball history. Retrieved from https://www.olympic.org/basketball-equipment-and-history

Omona, W. P., van der Weide, T., & Lubega, J. (2010). Knowledge management research using grounded theory strategy: Applicability, limitations and ways forward. IJEDICT, 6(4), 163-185. ISSN: 1814-0556. The University of the West Indies, West Indies: Open Campus.

Opeskin, B., Perruchoud, R., & Redpath-Cross, J. (Eds.) (2012). Foundations of International Migration Law. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi: 10.1017/CBO9781139084598

Orlowski, J., Wicker, P. & Breuer, C. (2016). Determinants of labour migration of elite sport coaches. European Journal of Sport Science, 16(6), 711-718. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2015.1130751

Oxford Dictionary (2017). Migration. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/migration

Oxford Dictionary (2018). Motivation. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/motivation

Papadopoulos, D., & Tsianos, V. (2007). The autonomy of migration: The animals of undocumented mobility. In Deleuzian Encounters. Studies in Contemporary Social Issues, 223–235.

Parkins, N. C. (2010). Push and pull factors of migration. American Review of Political Economy, 8(2), 6-24.


RealGM (2017). 2017-2018 Chinese CBA players. Retrieved from https://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/40/Chinese-CBA/players

Ryder, G. (2017). ILO director-general. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/labour-migration/lang--en/index.htm

Schinke, R. J. (2013). Acculturation in elite sport: A thematic analysis of immigrant athletes and coaches. Journal of Sports Science, 31(15), 1676-1686.

Stead, D., & Maguire, J. (2000). “Rite de passage” or passage to riches? The motivation and objectives of Nordic/Scandinavian players in English league soccer. Journal of Sports & Social Issues, 24(1), 36-60. doi: 10.1177/0193723500241004

Takahashi, Y., & Horne, J. (2006). Moving with the bat and the ball: Preliminary reflections on migration of Japanese baseball labour. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 41(1), 79-88. doi:10.1177/1012690206067014

Tsuda, T. (1999). The motivation to migrate: The ethnic and sociocultural constitution of the Japanese‐Brazilian return‐migration system. Economic Development and Cultural Change 48(1), 1-31. doi: 10.1086/452444

ThoughtCo (2017). Push-pull factors. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/push-pull-factors-1434837

Van Hear, N., Bakewell, O., & Long, K. (2017). Push-pull plus: Reconsidering the drivers of migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(6), 927-944. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2017.1384135

Ventegodt, S., Merrick, J., & Andersen, N. J. (2003). Quality of life theory III. Maslow revisited. The Scientific World Journal, 3, 1050-1057. doi: 10.1100/tsw.2003.84. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Maslows-hierarchy-of-needs_fig1_228709490

Venter, E., & Venter, H. (2010). Globalization and the Psychology of the New World Citizen: How the New Global Citizen Compares to Maslow's Level of Self Transcendence. International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 5(7), 29-35.

Wikipedia (2017a). Basketball in 1936 olympics. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basketball_at_the_1936_Summer_Olympics

Wikipedia (2017b). Human migration. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_migration#cite_note-20

Willig, C. (2013). Introducing Qualitative Research in Psychology. New York City, NY: Open University Press.

Zegers, C. (2017). Team USA and Olympic basketball history: From Berlin 1936 to London 2012. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/team-usa-and-olympic-basketball-history-325908.