Zhou Qi

Zhou Qi attended Fuxin Basketball School in 2005 in Fuxin, Liaoning, China. Zhou first began appearing on scouting reports when he guided China to an unlikely youth team title in Turkey at the TBF 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 the 2012 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. In January 2014, Zhou left his boyhood team, the Liaoning Jaguars, to join the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. However, he was unable to play for Xinjiang until the 2014–15 season due to being underaged. ==Professional career==

Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2014–2017) 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. 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. Houston Rockets (2017–2018) After his second season with Xinjiang, Zhou declared for the 2016 NBA draft. He had the longest wingspan during the 2016 NBA Draft Combine at . On 23 June 2016, he was selected with the 43rd overall pick by the Houston Rockets. On 6 July 2017, Zhou signed with the Houston Rockets. On 1 November 2017, Zhou scored his first NBA points, finishing with three points against the New York Knicks. During his rookie season, Zhou had multiple assignments to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. On 17 December 2018, the Rockets waived Zhou. Return to the Flying Tigers (2019–2021) In August 2019, Zhou returned to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. South East Melbourne Phoenix (2021–2022) On 8 September 2021, Zhou signed a two-year deal with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) as a Special Restricted Player, with the second year being a player option. On 27 September 2022, Zhou recommitted to the Phoenix for the 2022–23 NBL season. On 19 December 2022, he left the team and returned to China for family reasons. Return to CBA Zhou Qi joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers for the 2023-24 CBA season. ==National team career==

Zhou made his debut with the senior Chinese national team during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. He returned for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship in Changsha, China, where he helped China win the championship with a win over the Philippines in the final. Zhou had 16 points and 14 rebounds in the championship game. He was subsequently named to the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship All-Star Five. Zhou later competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics with the Chinese national team. ==Career statistics==

NBA Regular season Playoffs CBA NBL ==References==