China basketball star suspended for sneaking girlfriend into room in suitcase to do ‘homework’
Young star faces uncertain future despite claims that he was only helping student sweetheart with English studies overnight
A top Chinese basketball player has been suspended after being accused of smuggling his girlfriend into his dormitory in a suitcase.
The punishment was meted out to Zhang Xingliang on January 8 by the Guangzhou Loong Lions, a team from southern China’s Guangdong province.
The club said Zhang, 20, had violated the team’s management rules.
In a statement, the club, which is a member of the Chinese Basketball Association, said he had not handled his personal matters appropriately, the Yangcheng Evening News reported.
Earlier this month, Zhang’s girlfriend, who was not identified in the report but who some mainland media said was a struggling arts student, said on social media that she was studying English all night in the dormitory.
She had previously released some pictures showing herself curled up so she could fit into a suitcase as well as images of the inside of Zhang’s dormitory.
