Recently, according to media personality Zhao Tanchang from the basketball circle, 17-year-old Chinese-American guard Zhu Zheng has registered with the Chinese Basketball Association. Last year, there were reports that Asian-American guard Jacob Zhu proactively requested to join the Chinese men's basketball team, expressing a desire to play for China in the U17 Men's Basketball World Cup, but was unable to do so due to various reasons. Zhu Zheng is a Chinese-American player; his father is from Fujian, and his mother is Jamaican. Born on July 29, 2007, he is currently 17 years old, standing at approximately 1.83 meters tall (data from the player's social media), playing as a guard.
Zhu Zheng's father once stated, "I fully support Zhu Zheng representing the Chinese team in competitions; we will definitely participate if there is an invitation." Zhu Zheng's attitude is very firm.
(Zhu Zheng with his parents)
In November last year, Zhu Zheng announced on his personal Instagram that he had accepted an offer from Alabama A&M University, officially joining the Alabama A&M Bulldogs basketball team, which belongs to the NCAA Division I league.
Let's take a look at some of Zhu Zheng's game moments:
Superb jumping slam dunk, showing outstanding talent
Continuous crossovers to finish a layup
Low post single move turnaround jumper made
Catch and shoot long-range three-pointer right on target
Effortlessly completing a windmill dunk
It is worth mentioning that Zhu Zheng has excellent physical talent and often performs spectacular dunks in games. He also possesses good and stable shooting skills. This all stems from daily intensive three-point shooting training. It is reported that Zhu Zheng shoots 25,000 three-pointers every month during training.
Currently, Zhu Zheng has completed all registration procedures for the Shanghai Youth Team and is now a member of the team. At the same time, Zhu Zheng has entered the national youth men's basketball team's field of view. The national youth men's basketball team went to the United States for special training at the end of last year, where Zhu Zheng met with the team. Relevant personnel stated that the national youth men's basketball team will comprehensively consider factors such as team position needs, player characteristics, and time before determining whether to allow Zhu Zheng to join the team for the next training session.
In addition, the Oriental Sports Daily reported that Zhu Zheng falls under the category of returning overseas Chinese for settlement, which is completely different from the situation when the Chinese men's basketball team naturalized Li Kaili in the past. Even if he represents the Shanghai men's basketball team in the CBA arena in the future, he will compete as a domestic player, not occupying a foreign player quota.
Besides representing the Shanghai team in next year's National Games, he will also become a member of the Shanghai men's basketball U19 youth team. However, the club will fully support him in pursuing and challenging his basketball dreams in the American NCAA and higher stages.
Zhu Zheng once accepted an exclusive interview with Basketball magazine, stating, "I know where my father comes from, and my heart has always wanted to represent China, both on and off the court, which has always been my goal."
It can be said that Zhu Zheng's joining has brought some opportunities and hope to the Chinese men's basketball team, which is currently in a low point. He himself has repeatedly expressed a strong desire to represent the Chinese men's basketball team. Judging from this, Zhu Zheng's attitude is positive. We hope that he can hone his skills well in the NCAA and contribute his strength to the Chinese men's basketball team as soon as possible. We are even more eager for him to lead Chinese basketball on the path to revival.