(Getty Images: Matt King)'One of the best'At 216 centimetres – 7'1" – Zhou is easily the tallest player in the Phoenix line-up. A natural defensive player, the 26-year-old started his professional career playing with his hometown team, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. He was named the best defensive player in China's professional league three times and represented his country at the Rio Olympics. His global profile took off when he joined the Houston Rockets in America's NBA in 2017 and 2018. He then returned to play in China after being cut by the Rockets. However, there was a social media backlash after the dying minutes of a tight 2019 FIBA World Cup game between China and Poland when Zhou missed what some fans thought were easy chances.
Mr Hou isn't surprised by the numbers. "[Qi is] one of the best – if not the best – basketball players in China, " he said. "Just with the number of the population in China, it's pretty obvious that he would get a lot of eyes on him. "Loading Instagram contentThe phenomenon is not just limited to Melbourne — the Brisbane Bullets have also recruited a Chinese player. At 225cm – 7'4" – Chuanxing Liu, known as "Big Liu", is the tallest player the NBL has ever seen. More than two million people live-streamed a Bullets and Phoenix match in January.
"Obviously I've thought about [going to the NBA]. "But at the moment I feel pretty comfortable here in Australia. ""I wasn't expecting such welcoming teammates — in the US I found everyone was playing individually, but here everyone's supporting each other no matter what. "While his teammates speak of Zhou's easygoing nature and cheeky sense of humour, the love from the sidelines is perhaps just as important. "The crowd was incredible and it's something that I wasn't expecting coming over here, " he said. "With especially such a large Chinese community coming over to our games to support us, for me it's just such a great inspiration to have them there and to have my back. " The Australasian Basketball Association co-founders Rex Cheng, Max Wu, Joe Yeh and Patrick Yu. (Supplied: Patrick Yu)Bringing cultures togetherTen minutes' drive from the State Basketball Centre, Patrick Yu runs a weekly basketball competition. The Australasian Basketball Association started as a casual competition between four Chinese churches a decade ago.
(Supplied: WeiHao Hou)Mr Loeliger said the league started streaming games in China in 2016 and had facilitated a number of games between Australian and Chinese teams. He hoped more players from Asia would consider playing professional basketball in Australia. "You can't deny how important and significance the Zhou Qi and Chuanxing Liu signings have been, as it has shown other Chinese players that the NBL is a legitimate option for them, " Loeliger said. "We have seen numerous NBL players go on to star in the NBA, including Patty Mills, James Ennis Jr, Josh Giddey, LaMelo Ball and Jae'Sean Tate.
Cairns Taipans vs. South East Melbourne Phoenix preview 2 days ago — Both teams have struggled of late - SEM lost both of their games in Round 11, while Cairns split theirs (although they were milliseconds from ...
"There's no doubt the NBL is a genuine stepping stone to the NBA and is a highly attractive league for any player who is wanting to make that transition. " Zhou Qi's move to Melbourne and attracted the attention of millions of people. (Getty Images: Daniel Pockett)Will he stay? Despite the NBA hype, Zhou said he enjoyed working and living in Melbourne. His few months in Australia haven't been without controversy. In December, Melbourne United's courtside announcer was suspended for two games after making an "inappropriate" comment about Qi during the game. Qi declined to comment on this incident, but spoke highly of his NBL experience so far. "I just want to focus here, " he said through a translator.
Sydney Kings | Official NBL Website ... Phoenix. Game day guide: Round 10 vs South East Melbourne live & play. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present & emerging as well as all Aboriginal ...
National Basketball League Cairns Taipans - Round 11, NBL24. National Basketball ABDEL NADER signs with South East Melbourne Phoenix #nbl #nba #basketball #hoops #sport #shorts.
