Yao sticking to rules on Zhou’s eligibility
Yao Ming, chairman of Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), on Saturday appeared to rule out giving
Zhou Qi a special exemption to play in this season’s domestic league.
Zhou was waived by the Houston Rockets last month and is now back in China, hoping primarily for a return to the NBA but also considering options at home.
Several top CBA teams are keen to acquire Zhou, while defending champion Liaoning has denied reports that it has already signed the former CBA All-Star center on a four-year contract.
However, even if there was some substance to that story, it seems Zhou won’t be stepping onto a CBA court to play anytime soon.
“The pre-registration for overseas players to join the CBA is in the middle of the season, but Zhou is not pre-registered,” Yao said at a media event in Qingdao for the 2018-19 CBA All-Stars Weekend.
“According to the rule, Zhou can’t play in this season’s CBA, unless the rule is changed,” the NBA legend added.
Zhou, a key member of the Chinese national team, led the Xinjiang Flying Tigers to their first ever CBA title in the 2016-17 season, when he was named Defensive Player of the Year. In July 2017, he joined the NBA’s Rockets.
However, after a frustrating, injury-curtailed stint in Houston, he was released by the franchise last month.
With the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup taking place in China this year, fears are growing that Zhou, who turns 23 on Wednesday, will be short of court time when the tournament tips off in late August.
“The World Cup will be held in China, and it’s obvious that players can only maintain great form by playing in games. So we really feel torn,” Yao said. “This is a conflict, but we must obey the rule.”
Meanwhile, Yao said he is open to the idea of expanding the CBA, despite harboring some reservations on the issue.
“If more teams are included in the CBA, there will be a longer season and the training of the national team will be affected,” Yao said.
“However, it remains a possibility, and we will try to work on it step by step.”