HOHHOT, China, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Mengke Bateer, former NBA player who had won an NBA championship ring with the San Antonio Spurs, was unanimously elected president of the Inner Mongolia Basketball Association here on Sunday.

Bateer, 42, took the position at the first general congress of the association, which had halted its business for three decades due to shortage of professional teams and other reasons.

"I came back to my hometown and wanted to do some good to develop basketball," Bateer said. "I will make endeavors to provide an efficient and professional platform for those who love to play basketball," he added.

The regulations of the association were also passed during the congress.

Bateer was born in Ordos of Inner Mongolia in 1975 and began to play in China's national basketball team at 18. He earned the MVP honor at the 2002 CBA All-Star Games.

Bateer joined NBA's Denver Nuggets in 2001 and got an NBA championship ring with the Spurs in 2003, writing a chapter in Chinese basketball history.

He returned to China in 2005, playing for Beijing and Xinjiang in the CBA, and retired in 2015.

Bateer had also acted in movies such as Bodyguards and Assassins, Journey to the West: Demon Chapter and others.