44 out of 57! Farewell, Zhou Qi! Officially recognized as the new leader of the Chinese men's basketball team

Good performance naturally brings increased attention.

Statistics show that at this Asian Cup, topics about the Chinese men's basketball team garnered 7.17 billion views and 1.742 million discussions, up 5.3% and 107.9% respectively from the last 2022 Asian Cup; on the final night, related keywords appeared 53 times on trending charts, including 29 top trends and 114 sports list trends...

Among the roster representing China in this Asian Cup,Hu Jinqiu may not be the most spotlighted player, but he is certainly the most trusted, having received the national team’s official designation as a leader.Even Zhou Qi has never been given such treatment.

Hu Jinqiu’s performance at this year’s Asian Cup was phenomenal, averaging 24.5 minutes per game, scoring 16.5 points and grabbing 9.2 rebounds, nearly a double-double; all three stats topped the team, with an astonishing shooting accuracy of about 77.2% (44 made out of 57 attempts).He was the main contributor to China winning the runner-up position and was selected for the tournament’s All-Star team.

Frankly speaking, Hu Jinqiu is currently the primary interior player and absolute core of the Chinese men’s basketball team; neither Zhou Qi nor Yang Hansen can challenge his spot. In the CBA, he is also the best domestic player and recently won his first career championship.

Of course, Hu Jinqiu is not perfect; his power forward build makes him somewhat disadvantaged in rim protection and rebounding, but his offensive efficiency is so extraordinary that it overshadows all shortcomings.

What impresses most is Hu Jinqiu’s dedication. Before the Asian Cup started, during warm-up games in Hangzhou, the coaching staff offered him time to visit his wife and children, but he firmly declined, explaining that he wanted to focus completely on preparation. This story of passing by home without entering is truly touching.

By the way, both Hu Jinqiu and Zhao Rui have never played in the Olympics; Hu is about to turn 28, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics may be his last chance. Therefore, the upcoming World Cup qualifiers are crucial; the first goal is to secure a direct spot for the 2027 World Cup to keep Olympic hopes alive.