Led by NBA all-star center Yao Ming and rookie Yi Jianlian, China's men's basketball team is looking to rewrite history at the Olympics.

Jonas Kazlauskas' side is hailed as the best Chinese national team ever, with two current NBA players and one former NBA regular in the form of Wang Zhizhi. Their Olympic goal is clear - to go beyond the quarterfinals and reach a new altitude at the Games.

But they have a mountain to climb as China will face US and World Championships winner Spain in the group stage.

"We have a very clear goal, which is we have to make the top eight," Yao said. "There are no weak teams at the Olympics because all of them consist of the best players from their continents, so I don't really care about whether we are in a 'group of death' or not.

"I am a player, so I just want to play as hard as I can and try to lead my team to realize this goal for the Chinese people.

"Certainly there are teams in our group that we are not on the same level with, but I believe there are opportunities and they are there for us to pursue."

China was drawn with the two powerhouses in Group B, which also includes African title-holder Angola and two qualifiers that will emerge from the 12-team Olympic qualifier to be held in July in Greece.

Basketball has recently become China's most popular sport, with massive support and exposure from an estimated 350 million fans. However, aside from an eighth-place finish four years ago, it has never sparkled on the world stage and is short of talented players besides Yi and Yao.

The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), a nationwide hoop league, has been criticized by state media for the low grade of its players and performances. It has also come under fire for being poorly managed, despite having generated several elite athletes since the 1990s.