Zhou Qi will become the NBA’s first Chinese player since Yi Jianlian, who last played for the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011-12 season.
On July 1, the Houston Rockets took a bet on Qi, signing him to a four-year contract. He played for the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers last season, a team in the Chinese Basketball Association. Qi averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game on 36 percent shooting from three.
Because they’re both from China, Qi is often compared to former All-Star and Rockets great Yao Ming. While both tower over even NBA players, they’re styles of play are quite different.