NBA Commissioner David Stern said that Wang Zhi-Zhi?s eligibility to play in the NBA will not be affected by his status with the Chinese government.

Marc Stein of the Dallas Morning News reports that his status remained in question Friday, with Wang still working out privately in Los Angeles according to friend and adviser Simon Chan. Wang has missed two deadlines, conveyed in separate letters to the Mavericks from the Chinese Basketball Association, summoning the 24-year-old former soldier home to join China's national team in its preparations for the World Championships in Indianapolis later this summer.

Asked if Wang had to be in China's good graces to land a new NBA contract this summer, Stern said: "We don't maintain direct diplomatic relations with [China]. The NBA is about our own ... whatever is permissible under our laws will be legal.
"I think much is being made about the entire Chinese situation that maybe is not as big a deal as it seems. ... As far as we know, Wang Zhizhi's status is [that] he's a free agent."

Dallas owner Mark Cuban has stated that his team will tender the qualifying offer required to make Zhi-Zhi a restricted free agent. As a restricted free agent, the Mavericks retain the right to match any other team?s offer up to 108% of the league average salary (or about $4.5 million in 2001-02).