Draft Day Disaster: CBA Second-Round Pick Stunned with Zero Scores in Multiple Physical Tests
The Second Round No. 1 Pick in the CBA Draft Failed to Pass the Physical Fitness Test
Do you really want to play professional basketball? Recently, in the physical fitness test held by CBA, some players failed to pass the physical fitness test, which attracted outside attention. Among them was Yang Zheng, the “second round No. 1 pick” who was just selected by Sichuan Men’s Basketball Team this year.
Yang Zheng is a popular basketball player with 3 million fans on short video platforms. He is well-known online in streetball circles, amateur basketball circles, and among fans. The entire process from his announcement of participating in the CBA draft to his final selection has received huge attention on various platforms.
When Yang Zheng was selected, many fans questioned whether he really had the ability to play in the CBA professional league. And when Yang Zheng failed the physical fitness test, the fans’ impression was further “confirmed”: “It is true that not everyone can play professionally if they want to.” Does this mean that Yang Zheng is facing “unemployment” before he even starts playing?
Multiple Scores 0 Points
Public information shows that Yang Zheng, who was born in 1993, is 31 years old this year and 1.96 meters tall. During his middle school years, Yang Zheng received professional training at a sports school, but initially did not choose to pursue a career in basketball.
In recent years, Yang Zheng has gained the attention of fans through his outstanding performances in streetball and amateur competitions. The “addition” of short video dissemination has made him famous on the Internet, and Yang Zheng has also been invited to participate in some basketball variety shows. Many basketball fans and professional players believe that Yang Zheng is already a “top star” among amateur basketball players.
At the 2024 CBA draft held on July 27 this year, the Sichuan Men’s Basketball Team selected Yang Zheng with the first pick in the second round (21st overall). Since then, Yang Zheng has transformed from an amateur player to a “quasi-professional player” (who has not yet played in the official league). Due to his draft pick, Yang Zheng is also called the “second round No. 1 pick” by fans.
Physical Test Requirements
The specific items of the physical test are: 2-minute intensity shooting, weighted bench press, weighted squat, and special speed endurance. Among them, the special speed endurance is also called 17 shuttle runs, which requires 4 sets of running, with a 2-minute rest between each set, and the results are calculated based on the average time of the 4 sets. According to Yang Zheng’s height of 1.96 meters, his corresponding qualified score is 64 seconds.
Yang Zheng’s Performance in the Physical Test
In the four sets of shuttle runs on the day of the physical test, Yang Zheng’s score for the first set was 59.81 seconds, and his score for the second set was 70.72 seconds. After 17% off in the two sets, Yang Zheng was no longer able to support the remaining two sets of tests and chose to give up, ultimately getting no results.
In another physical fitness test, the 2-minute intensive shooting test, Yang Zheng shot 8 of 21 in the first round and 7 of 22 in the second round. He also received no score because he did not reach the required 24 shots.
Most Professional Athletes are Stress-Free
Compared with Yang Zheng’s ”dilemma” in the physical test, most CBA professional players completed it easily. The Chinese Basketball Association announced the physical fitness test guidelines for the 2024-2025 season on August 13. The physical fitness test changed the previous rule of “random testing” of some players of each team, requiring all CBA players, except for the national three-on-three basketball players who participated in the Paris Olympics, to pass the physical fitness test before they can “take office.”
The Failure of Some Athletes to Pass the Test
In addition to Yang Zheng, the failure of two national players, Wang Yibo and He Xining, to pass the physical test also attracted attention. In response, the management of Zhejiang Chouzhou Club and Shenzhen New Century Leopard Club, where the two played respectively, said that Wang Yibo failed to pass the physical test because he participated in a lot of warm-up matches and was physically tired, and he was injured during the physical test; and He Xining was disqualified because he failed to step on the sideline as required during one of the shuttle runs.
The Physical Test is Not a Sudden Idea
The CBA’s large-scale physical test was not a sudden idea. As early as 2011, Gong Luming, then director of the Training and Research Department of the Basketball Management Center, was the initiator of the physical test for all players. After several years of persistence, in 2016, the “tragedy” of Li Xiaoxu’s Achilles tendon rupture occurred during the CBA physical test, and the Chinese Basketball Association was forced to change the physical test for all players to “random testing.” Gong Luming, as the current vice chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, has taken charge of the preparations for the competition again, and the resumption of the physical test for all players is considered “imperative” in the basketball industry.
The Failure of Some Athletes to Pass the Test Reflects Their Usual Training Foundation
Regarding the physical test, Gong Luming recently publicly stated that the failure of some athletes to pass the test reflects that their usual training foundation is not enough. “Old athletes like Zhou Peng can pass it in one try. We can’t ‘throw the baby out with the bathwater’ just because some athletes fail, and think that there is something wrong with the test. It’s not the test that has a problem, but the athletes.
Internet Celebrity Golfers, Are They Challenging Their Careers with Their Hobbies?
After Yang Zheng failed the physical test, some fans who supported Yang Zheng thought that it would be unfair for an amateur player to close the door to his “dream”. However, most fans believe that, against the backdrop of the Chinese men’s basketball team’s deteriorating performance, it is only natural for the Chinese Basketball Association to set physical fitness standards and eliminate those players who “can’t run”, “can’t shoot accurately” and are just filling in the gaps.
Yang Zheng Still Has Two More Chances to Become a Professional Player
According to the announcement previously released by the CBA, the CBA will have one more make-up test before the start of the season and one more after the fifth round of the season. Including the completed physical test, if the three tests fail, the CBA will not arrange another test. Yang Zheng still has two more chances to become a professional player and step onto the CBA court. The subsequent physical test results may show whether Yang Zheng really respects the word “professional”.