Since Yao Ming's 2011 retirement and Yi Jianlian's flameout in 2012, the NBA-obsessed people of China have yearned for another homegrown hero. To whomever that distinction falls, so too will the attention of over a billion star-thirsty onlookers.
Zhou Qi (pronounced "JOE CHEE") could be that star. But don't get caught up in the easy comparisons—the 7'2", spaghetti-thin center shares more in common with some tantalizing contemporary NBA stars than he does Yao or Yi.
"I used to call him Anthony Davis because of the things he can do on the court," former NBA guard and Chinese Basketball Association No. 1 scorer Jordan Crawford told Bleacher Report.
Crawford played with Zhou in 2014 before returning to the NBA D-League and is perhaps his biggest advocate.
"His mid-range is money; he'll never miss that shot. He blocked a lot on defense, dribbles well, can jump... I honestly thought he was older then because he understood the game. Most Chinese players just want to shoot all the time."
Like many Chine ...
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Article written by David Pick