The second phase of the CBA league is in full swing, and on New Year's Day 2025, the CBA league arranged a match between Xinjiang team and Shandong team. There must be a reason for such an arrangement, as it is a confrontation between the new coaches and former coaches of the two teams, which is quite topical.
Unexpectedly, the New Year's Day match turned out to be so exciting. An incredible scene occurred during the game. Five minutes into the game, Xinjiang player Zhao Rui made a fast-break layup. He believed that his layup was fouled by the opponent and the referee should have called a 2+1, but the referee did nothing. Subsequently, he pointed at the referee and scolded him, and the referee didn't tolerate him and gave him a technical foul.
It's unclear why Zhao Rui suddenly became very angry. He directly went up and chest-bumped the referee, which is a very malicious behavior. The referee also gave him a technical foul and a disqualification foul, ejecting him from the game.
Zhao Rui is still very important to Xinjiang team. He was ejected from the game after only five minutes, making it very difficult for Xinjiang to win this game.
Recently, Zhao Rui has missed many games due to colds, fevers, and allergies. In the previous game against Beijing, he hurriedly returned but only scored 2 points. This is his second game back, and he was ejected after only playing for five minutes.
Many fans think that Zhao Rui probably didn't want to play this game, so he just found an excuse to get himself ejected. However, the cost is quite high. First, it will have a significant impact on the team, as they lose an important rotational player. Moreover, Zhao Rui will definitely face punishment, and it will be severe, because no matter what league it is, you cannot physically assault the referee. It is estimated that Zhao Rui will be suspended for at least five games and fined at least 150,000 yuan.
Of course, everything depends on the disciplinary notice issued by the CBA league tomorrow, and Zhao Rui is definitely not getting away with it.
But it must be said that Zhao Rui is indeed a player with a very fiery temper. When he is in a good mood, he can comfort his teammates not to act rashly, but every time he is in a bad mood, he easily explodes. From Guangdong to Xinjiang, he still hasn't changed his temper, and as he grows older, he remains like a child.
Moreover, many fans are already dissatisfied with Zhao Rui's behavior over the years. After being traded from Guangdong to Xinjiang, he received a top salary contract, but then he didn't seem to want to play anymore, constantly missing many games due to injuries. Last season, Zhao Rui only played 9 games, and this season, he has only played 13 games, which may be slightly better than Zhou Qi from Beijing and Guo Ailun from Guangzhou. These three players all have top salary contracts but don't do their jobs properly.
Of course, Xinjiang team has another player, Qi Lin, who is also very fiery. He has also had physical altercations with referees before, and previously Qi Lin was suspended for three games due to a conflict with Goodwin from Shanxi team. Now it's Zhao Rui's turn to likely be suspended, so Xinjiang team can only hope for the best with these two players.
Their actions not only harm themselves but also harm the team. We'll wait for the notice from the CBA league.