No more playing! Goodbye Zeng Fanbo! Reportedly, he has already declined offers from NBL teams.

Wow.

Zeng Fanbo has formally abandoned the opportunity to sign with an Australian NBL team. Currently, his only paths are back to the CBA or heading to the NCAA.

In fact, returning to the CBA is the only route left. The NCAA season has been underway for a long time. Media analysts interpret the situation as follows:

After his A1 rookie contract expired this summer, Zeng Fanbo and the Beijing team had significant disagreements during renewal talks. Even after the new CBA season started, no deal was reached, leaving him without a team to play for now.Meanwhile, without Zeng Fanbo, the Beijing team has achieved a perfect 3-0 record this season and continues to perform strongly.

A 22-year-old core forward of the Chinese men's basketball team is unemployed—something unheard of.

According to regulations, once the A1 contract ends, the original club holds exclusive rights to sign the player under a B-class contract. This means Zeng Fanbo is not a completely free agent, explaining why he hasn’t reached an agreement with Beijing yet and is not considering joining other CBA teams. Otherwise, there would surely be teams willing to pick him up.

Born on January 11, 2003, Zeng Fanbo is a 2.08-meter tall swingman who started his CBA career with Beijing in 2022. Over three seasons, he has helped his team reach the playoffs three times, been selected for the All-Star game thrice, and last season was named to the All-Chinese First Team and awarded Most Improved Player.

The 2024-25 season was a great success for Zeng Fanbo, but unfortunately, in Game 2 of the semifinals, he suffered a transverse process fracture in his lumbar spine. He missed the finals against Guangsha, where Beijing lost 2-4 and had to settle for runner-up, which also stalled his personal development.

Zeng Fanbo was injured in late April this year. After nearly seven months, he made a symbolic appearance for the Nets in the NBA China preseason and played two World Cup qualifiers for China. Due to lack of recent game time, his performance fell short of expectations, leading to criticism.

On the court, it's just about winning or losing; off the court, the distribution of interests is much more complicated.

What else can be said? Hopefully, Zeng Fanbo won’t waste his valuable professional career. A player’s true worth is ultimately proven on the court.