A top Chinese basketball player has been suspended amid accusations that he smuggled his girlfriend into his dormitory in a suitcase. - Photo: SCMP composite/Douyin
BEIJING: A top Chinese basketball player has been suspended after being accused of smuggling his girlfriend into his dormitory in a suitcase.
The punishment was meted out to Zhang Xingliang on Wednesday (Jan 8) by the Guangzhou Loong Lions, a team from southern China’s Guangdong province.
The club said Zhang, 20, had violated the team’s management rules.
In a statement, the club, which is a member of the Chinese Basketball Association, said he had not handled his personal matters appropriately, the Yangcheng Evening News reported.
Earlier this month, Zhang’s girlfriend, who was not identified in the report but who some mainland media said was a struggling arts student, said on social media that she was studying English all night in the dormitory.
She had previously released some pictures showing herself curled up so she could fit into a suitcase as well as images of the inside of Zhang’s dormitory.
This led many internet users to speculate that she was sneaked into the player’s dormitory in the suitcase.
The scandal unfolded a day ahead of Zhang’s club 103-90 loss to Qingdao Eagles, a team in eastern China.
Zhang played for 25 minutes in the match and scored five points, made three turnovers and effected two rebounds.
The story trended on mainland social media.
“Following the communication among the club management, coaches and Zhang Xingliang, Zhang realised that he should set a higher requirement for himself as a young player,” the club said in a statement.
“He feels sorry for the negative impact caused by the incident and pledges to improve himself from all aspects,” it added.
Zhang became a first-tier player for the Guangzhou club in 2023.
His girlfriend has deleted the controversial social media posts in which she released pictures displaying the affection between the pair.
On January 9, Zhang’s club denied online suitcase smuggling speculation.
An anonymous official from the club said the picture posted on the girlfriend’s social media account was actually taken in August during the team’s off-season when she went to Zhang’s dormitory to help him pack clothes.
Curious about the large size of Zhang’s suitcase, the woman huddled up to fit into the case and asked Zhang to take a picture of her.
She released the picture in November, and at the time it did not make any waves.
This came two days before Guangzhou lost 113-103 to Qingdao at home, sparking the speculation that the incident happened the last time the two teams met.
The loss sparked an 11-game losing streak for the Loong Lions, which was only broken on December 7, when they beat Jiangsu Dragons 100-91 away from home.
Zhang’s girlfriend has drawn much attention in recent weeks because Zhang did not perform at a “stable level” in matches and many fans became angry, accusing him of spending too much time with his girlfriend. - South China Morning Post
