Good news has come for Chinese men's basketball as 17-year-old Chinese-American prodigy Zhu Zheng has officially become a Chinese national. According to official records, his nationality has now changed to Chinese.
Zhu Zheng is well-known within domestic basketball circles due to his father being Chinese and his mother Jamaican. Both Zhu Zheng and his father have always been eager to play for the Chinese men's basketball team. In an interview in August 2024, Zhu expressed his desire publicly, saying, "I've always known that I have deep roots with China. I know where my father comes from, and whether on or off the court, my heart has always wanted to represent China, which is also my goal."
Four months later, Zhu Zheng's dream has come true as he has become a Chinese basketball player. The process was swift, mainly because his father is originally Chinese, making the procedure smoother. It is reported that Zhu will represent Shanghai's men's basketball team at the 2025 National Games. At only 17 years old, he is already well-known in the industry and has the potential to become the absolute core of the Chinese men's basketball team in the future.
Standing at 1.80 meters tall, Zhu is a guard who has received offers from several prestigious NCAA schools, including Auburn University. He is expected to aim for the NBA in the future. Among the current batch of Chinese men's basketball players, those with NBA experience include Zhou Qi and Cui Yongxi, and Zhu could very well be the next. According to domestic journalist Xue Sijia, Zhu will join the U19 youth team of Shanghai's men's basketball club, and the club will fully support him in pursuing his dreams in the NCAA and on higher stages.
Furthermore, Xue Sijia revealed that Zhu's naturalization to China differs from the naturalization of Li Kaili. Even if he represents Shanghai's men's basketball team in future CBA games, he will not occupy a foreign player quota and will compete as a domestic player. Xue Sijia also remarked, "The entire process of introducing Zhu Zheng will have a milestone significance for the selection of talent for the future of Chinese men's basketball."
In the coming years, Zhu is likely to continue playing in the NCAA but will also find time to return to China to participate in the National Games. Fans are already looking forward to seeing him wear the jersey of the Chinese men's basketball team. As we all know, the Chinese men's basketball team has produced many legendary centers, including Battelle, Wang Zhizhi, and Yao Ming, but there has been a lack of outstanding guards throughout the history of Chinese basketball. Currently, the two captains of this men's basketball team, Zhao Jiwei and Hu Mingxuan, are undoubtedly the core players. They can perform well in the CBA, but when it comes to international competitions with increased defensive intensity, even dribbling past half-court becomes challenging. Now, with Zhu Zheng's arrival, this issue may not be completely resolved, but it can at least be alleviated.
Chinese men's basketball head coach Guo Shiqiang also strongly supports domestic players in improving themselves by playing in other top leagues. When serving as the head coach of Guangzhou's men's basketball team, he strongly supported Cui Yongxi's venture into the NBA. Although Cui suffered a season-ending injury, he still has the hope of returning to the NBA stage in the future and will not give up in the short term. Zhu Zheng has also become a member of the Chinese men's basketball team, and with nearly four years left until the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the new Olympic cycle sees the goal of the Chinese men's basketball team as achieving good results in the Basketball World Cup and returning to the Olympic stage.
Zhu Zheng is highly likely to represent the Chinese men's basketball team in the next Basketball World Cup. If Li Kaili also returns, the strength of the Chinese men's basketball team will further increase, and their return to the pinnacle of Asia is just around the corner!