Former Houston Rockets big man Zhou Qi’s move away from the NBA now appears all but certain, with the 23-year-old reportedly looking to make a move out to Europe. NBA insider Emiliano Carchia reports.
Chinese star & former Rockets forward Zhou Qi has hired European agent, Tadas Bulotas, with the goal to play Europe next season, I am told.
Qi, who has played 19 games for Houston, is drawing interest from top European teams and he’s turning down offers to return to China— Emiliano Carchia (@Carchia) July 12, 2019
After being selected as the 43rd overall pick by Houston in the 2016 NBA Draft, the 7-foot-1 big man suited up for a grand total of only 18 games in his debut season. His sophomore campaign proved to be even worse, as he was only able to take the floor once for the Rockets throughout the year.
Zhou spent most of his time with Houston’s G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, before finally being waived by the Rockets in December of last year. There has been no interest from any other NBA team since then, and at this point, Zhou has decided to take his talents overseas.
At just 23 years of age, Zhou Qi still has a bright future ahead of him. Perhaps he can even develop his game in Europe to become a premier big man out there, and maybe, a return to the NBA might just come somewhere down the road. This is not uncommon for players, and with a 7-foot-1 frame, anything is definitely possible for Zhou.
This is, perhaps, one major reason why Zhou has opted to play in Europe as opposed to going back home to China to play in the local league. He would naturally have more exposure plying his trade in the EuroLeague, so this would make a potential NBA comeback more feasible.
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