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James Porteous

The Houston Rockets believe Chinese basketball player Zhou Qi can be the next Yao Ming after confirming he has signed for the NBA team.
Daryl Morey, the team’s general manager, said on the team’s website: “We feel Zhou Qi has the potential to become the best Chinese player since Yao Ming.
“We’re excited to have him join the Rockets and will continue to develop his talents with our coaches and training staff.”
Yao joined the Rockets in 2002 and became an NBA Hall-of-Famer, but no Chinese player has emulated his success.
Zhou is 2.16m (7ft 1in) tall, but a skinny 95kg (210lbs), leading some to doubt he has the strength to make it in a brutally tough league.
The Rockets are convinced they can bulk the 21-year-old up to cope with the physicality of the NBA and follow in Yao’s gigantic footsteps.

Chinese 7-footer Zhou Qi is joining the Rockets, per @wojespn. Here's Qi's scouting report from my 2016 NBA Draft Guide. Qi is very good. pic.twitter.com/uf0tW6FIdc
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) July 1, 2017

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Zhou spent the past three seasons playing for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association, and played at the Olympics last summer.
Houston said he averaged 16.0 points and 10.0 rebounds last season, was second in the CBA in blocks (2.3 bpg) and was named defensive player of the year.
He was drafted by the Rockets last year but stayed in the CBA for another year.
The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports have claimed Zhou has signed a four-year contract.

.@officialzhouqi putting that work in. #RocketsSummer pic.twitter.com/9MpMOhNWkJ
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) July 5, 2017

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Zhou has been training with the Rockets’ summer league team over the past few weeks.
“I see a very young guy who is raw right now, but his ceiling is so high because he is a guy who can run the floor, he can shoot the ball from deep, he can pass the ball,” Rockets assistant coach Roy Rogers told the Houston Chronicle.
“We’re very excited about his future. He’s gotten stronger. Obviously, we need him to get a little stronger so he doesn’t get thrown around as much in the interior.”





I want to thank the Rockets organization for giving me the opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream to play in the NBA. To follow in the footsteps of a legendary pioneer in our sport in Yao Ming and play on the same team as he did is a great honor. I want to thank my parents, my former coaches and my former team, Xinjiang Flying Tigers for all of the support in my development as a player and allowing me to achieve this goal. I look forward to representing my country and my family as a member of the Houston Rockets. Go Red Nation! 我要诚挚感谢火箭队为我提供了在NBA打球的宝贵机会，来实现从儿时就有的梦想。能追随中国篮球运动在NBA的传奇前辈--- 姚明的足迹，加盟他曾经效力的球队，我感到无比荣幸。同时，我也要感谢在我成长过程中帮助我，支持我的父母，教练，球队，包括我的的母队，新疆飞虎男篮，是他们让我有动力追求我的人生梦想。我期盼作为火箭队的一员，代表我的祖国，我的家庭征战NBA的赛场。加油火箭！
A post shared by Zhou Qi (@officialzhouqi) on Jul 6, 2017 at 1:14pm PDT



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Zhou – or more likely his handlers – has quickly established his presence on western social media, with accounts on Instagram and Twitter, both of which are banned in China.
“I want to thank the Rockets organisation for giving me the opportunity to fulfil a lifelong dream to play in the NBA,” said a post on his Instagram.
“To follow in the footsteps of a legendary pioneer in our sport in Yao Ming and play on the same team as he did is a great honour.





One day closer to the start of the season. // 离赛季开始又近了一天。#LifeOfZhou #NBA #Basketball #RedNation
A post shared by Zhou Qi (@officialzhouqi) on May 23, 2017 at 1:43pm PDT



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“I want to thank my parents, my former coaches and my former team, Xinjiang Flying Tigers for all of the support in my development as a player and allowing me to achieve this goal.
“I look forward to representing my country and my family as a member of the Houston Rockets. Go Red Nation!”
The NBA is desperate for another Chinese star to break through, with commissioner Adam Silver admitting last month: “It frustrates me that there are no Chinese players in the NBA right now”.
He added: “There’s probably more basketball being played in China than anywhere else in the world. And more NBA basketball is being watched in China than anywhere else in the world.
“One of the things that we have worked on with Yao is the creation of academies in China.
“So we can bring together some of the best players at a young age, they can compete against each other, they can compete internationally in the summer, because ultimately that’s what enables them to become NBA players.”

Can Zhou Qi follow in Yao Ming’s gigantic footsteps and become a Chinese NBA star? Houston Rockets believe so after confirming deal

Zhou Qi wrestles with DaMarcus Cousins during an exhibition game between China and the USA before last summer’s Olympics. Photo: AFP 

The new Yao Ming?: Chinese ace Zhou Qi follows in legend’s giant footsteps as he is picked by Houston Rockets in NBA draft

The Rockets added the Chinese centre in the second round of the NBA draft

FILE - In this May 12, 2016, file photo, Zhou Qi, from China, participates in the NBA draft basketball combine in Chicago. Zhou Qi led the Chinese Basketball Association in blocked shots for the second straight season, averaging 3.2 in 2015-16 for Xinjiang. The 7-foot-1 forward/center also averaged 15.8 points and 9.8 rebounds. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

China’s Zhou Qi, from China, speaks with reporters at the NBA draft combine in Chicago. Photo: AP

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Former Xinjiang player is very tall but also very skinny, with some doubting he has the physicality to make it in the US league
