 Zhou in 2017 | |
| No. 27 – Beijing Ducks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | CBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1996-01-16)16 January 1996 (age 29) |
| Listed height | 216 cm (7 ft 1 in) |
| Listed weight | 96 kg (212 lb) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2016: 2nd round, 43rd overall pick |
| Drafted by | Houston Rockets |
| Playing career | 2014–present |
| Career history | |
| 2014–2017 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
| 2017–2018 | Houston Rockets |
| 2017–2018 | →Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2019–2021 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
| 2021–2022 | South East Melbourne Phoenix |
| 2023–2024 | Guangdong Southern Tigers |
| 2024–present | Beijing Ducks |
| Career highlights | |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Zhou Qi (Chinese:周琦;pinyin:Zhōu Qí[ʈʂóʊ tɕʰǐ]; born 16 January 1996) is a Chinese professionalbasketball player for theBeijing Ducks of theChinese Basketball Association (CBA). He has been a regular member of theChina men's national basketball team since 2014, winning a gold team medal in the2015 FIBA Asia Championship and the2018 Asian Games.
Acenter, Zhou started his professional career playing for theXinjiang Flying Tigers of theChinese Basketball Association (CBA). In 2016, he entered theNBA draft and was selected 43rd overall by theHouston Rockets of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). He played a total of 19 games across two seasons with the Rockets before being waived in 2018. Zhou returned to the Flying Tigers of the CBA soon after. In 2021, he joined theSouth East Melbourne Phoenix in theAustralianNational Basketball League (NBL).
Zhou Qi attended Fuxin Basketball School in 2005 inFuxin, Liaoning, China.
Zhou first began appearing on scouting reports when he guided China to an unlikely youth team title in Turkey at theTBF International Under-16 Tournament in 2011. At age fifteen, Zhou put up 41 points, 28 rebounds, and 15 blocks in China's semifinal win over Germany, and then went for 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 8 blocks in the final against the host nation. A year later at the2012 Albert Schweitzer Tournament, a traditional testing ground for the best teenage players in international basketball, Zhou reinforced his reputation as one to watch by averaging 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks in 28.2 minutes per game.[1]
In January 2014, Zhou left his boyhood team, the Liaoning Jaguars, to join theXinjiang Flying Tigers. However, he was unable to play for Xinjiang until the 2014–15 season due to being underaged.[1]
Although there were rumors that several U.S. college teams were courting him, the teenager decided to stay in China, and his move to the cash-flush Xinjiang team caused a firestorm of speculation within the local media. Initially, it was claimed Zhou had accepted a three-year, $744,000 deal that would have made him better paid than most of the Tigers' roster at the time, and the club was forced to publicly deny those stories.[1]
In 2015–16, Xinjiang lost in the semifinals of the CBA playoffs. Zhou led the CBA in blocked shots in each of his first two seasons at 3.3 and 3.2 per game, respectively, while shooting 65 percent from two-point range in 73 total games.[2]
In June 2016, Zhou reached an agreement with Xinjiang that would allow him to buy out his contract and join the NBA in 2017. After much back and forth, Zhou's representation in China and the U.S. secured a buyout that would allow him out of his contract after the 2016–17 season for the maximum league-mandated amount permitted, which is $675,000.[2]
In 2016–17, Zhou averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while shooting 58.6% from the floor. He also ranked second in the CBA in blocks (2.3 bpg) and was named Defensive Player of the Year. Zhou hit 20 3-pointers in 2016–17 after having 10 in his first two seasons combined. He also helped Xinjiang win its first championship in 2016–17.[3]
After his second season with Xinjiang, Zhou declared for the2016 NBA draft. He had the longest wingspan during the 2016 NBA Draft Combine at 7 ft7+3⁄4 in (2.330 m).[2][4] On 23 June 2016, he was selected with the 43rd overall pick by theHouston Rockets.[5]
On 6 July 2017, Zhou signed with the Houston Rockets.[3] He made his NBA debut on 21 October 2017, playing eight minutes in the fourth quarter of the Rockets' 107–91 win over theDallas Mavericks, posting three rebounds and one block.[6] On 1 November 2017, Zhou scored his first NBA points, finishing with three points against theNew York Knicks.[7] During his rookie season, Zhou had multiple assignments to theRio Grande Valley Vipers of theNBA G League.[8]
On 17 December 2018, the Rockets waived Zhou.[9]
In August 2019, Zhou returned to theXinjiang Flying Tigers.[citation needed]
On 8 September 2021, Zhou signed a two-year deal with theSouth East Melbourne Phoenix of the AustralianNational Basketball League (NBL) as a Special Restricted Player, with the second year being a player option.[10][11]
On 27 September 2022, Zhou recommitted to the Phoenix for the2022–23 NBL season.[12] On 19 December 2022, he left the team and returned to China for family reasons.[13]
Zhou Qi joined theGuangdong Southern Tigers for the 2023-24 CBA season.[14]
Zhou made his debut with the seniorChinese national team during the2014 Asian Games inIncheon, South Korea. He returned for the2015 FIBA Asia Championship inChangsha, China, where he helped China win the championship with a win over thePhilippines in the final. Zhou had 16 points and 14 rebounds in the championship game.[15] He was subsequently named to the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship All-Star Five.[16] Zhou later competed in the2016 Summer Olympics with the Chinese national team.
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Houston | 18 | 0 | 6.9 | .188 | .105 | .667 | 1.2 | .1 | .1 | .8 | 1.2 |
| 2018–19 | Houston | 1 | 0 | 1.0 | 1.000 | — | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.0 |
| Career | 19 | 0 | 6.6 | 21.2 | 10.5 | 66.7 | 1.2 | .1 | .1 | .7 | 1.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Houston | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | 1.000 | — | — | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .7 |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | 1.000 | — | — | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .7 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Xinjiang | 31 | 20 | 29.1 | .696 | .100 | .740 | 6.9 | .7 | .8 | 3.2 | 14.0 |
| 2015–16 | Xinjiang | 42 | 40 | 34.2 | .603 | .600 | .758 | 9.7 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 15.8 |
| 2016–17 | Xinjiang | 44 | 41 | 32.8 | .558 | .364 | .717 | 9.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 15.9 |
| 2019–20 | Xinjiang | 44 | 44 | 33.1 | .534 | .311 | .694 | 13.1 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.2 | 21.9 |
| 2020–21 | Xinjiang | 44 | 38 | 32.7 | .517 | .291 | .590 | 11.8 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.2 | 20.7 |
| 2023–24 | Guangdong | 35 | 34 | 26.3 | .617 | .356 | .583 | 11.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 16.9 |
| 2024–25 | Beijing | 27 | 24 | 26.8 | .593 | .410 | .614 | 8.3 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 14.6 |
| Career | 267 | 241 | 31.1 | .570 | .328 | .667 | 10.4 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 17.5 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Phoenix | 24 | 23 | 21.1 | .636 | .000 | .604 | 6.6 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 11.6 |
| 2022–23 | Phoenix | 9 | 0 | 13.5 | .656 | .000 | .538 | 4.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 6.2 |
| Career | 33 | 23 | 19.0 | .639 | .000 | .589 | 6.0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 10.1 | |
