Short-lived NBA Dream: Cui Yongxi‘s Injury Ends Brief Career
The brief NBA career of cui Yongxi, the seventh Chinese player to join the league, has come to an abrupt end. Just 49 days after signing with the Brooklyn Nets, the 21-year-old suffered a devastating knee injury, ending his season and casting doubt on his future in professional basketball.
Cui Yongxi’s injury occurred during a Progress League game.Doctors diagnosed a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee, requiring surgery in New York. While the specifics of his contract aren’t publicly available, NBA labor agreements stipulate that waived players receive a portion of their guaranteed salary. In Cui Yongxi’s case, this amounts to approximately $290,000, a significant sum considering the short duration of his time with the Nets.
Standing at 199 centimeters (approximately 6’6″), Cui Yongxi was the shortest Chinese player to ever sign an NBA contract. His five games played this season marked a significant milestone – the return of a Chinese player to the NBA court after a 2189-day absence.However, this promising start has been tragically cut short, leaving his NBA future uncertain and raising the possibility that he may become the shortest-lived Chinese NBA player in history.
A Look Back at Chinese NBA Players:
- Wang Zhizhi – Signed April 5, 2001
- Mengke bateer – Signed February 27, 2002
- Yao Ming – Signed october 30, 2002
- Yi Jianlian – Signed October 31, 2007
- Sun Yue – Signed December 7, 2008
- Zhou Qi – Signed October 21, 2017
- Cui Yongxi – Signed October 28, 2024
Cui Yongxi’s story serves as a reminder of the intense physical demands of professional basketball and the unpredictable nature of a career frequently enough cut short by injury. While his NBA journey ended sooner than expected, his brief time in the league will be remembered as a significant moment for chinese basketball.
Cui Yongxi,the seventh Chinese player to join the NBA,suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee during a Progress League game. [1] This ended his season with the Brooklyn Nets, and casts doubt on his future in professional basketball. [1] He will receive approximately $290,000, a portion of his guaranteed salary, as per NBA labor agreements for waived players. [1]
