Urbas Fuenlabada has made official the signing of Bolong “Bo” Zheng (Xi’an, China, 1989). The 1’83-meter, 32-year-old point guard who trained in the United States is the first Chinese player in the history of the ACB. Zheng has trained with the team in recent weeks and today Urbas Fuenlabrada has announced that he could play the derby against Real Madrid this Sunday, March 27 at the Wizink Center.
“Playing with Fuenlabrada means a lot to me. It means that hard work has its reward and that if you don’t give up on your dreams, in the end, you will see them become a reality,” explains Bo Zheng.
The Chinese “Mini Mamba”
‘Mini Mamba’, that’s what his friends called Bolong Zheng because of his small stature and that his idol was Kobe Bryant, is the son of athletes. Both of his parents played college basketball in China, and his father, Yan Zheng, has been one of those in charge of carrying the torch in the last Chinese National Games.
“My father was my first coach, his self-discipline and persistence has always inspired me,” says Bolong Zheng, the first Chinese basketball player to arrive at the ACB and who is already part of the staff of Urbas Fuenlabrada, a team with which Kalea Group collaborates.
From China to Spain, passing through the USA
Bo Zheng trained at Chang’an University, where he played in the Chinese College League (CUBA) for two years, until in 2010 he signed with Kansas State University to pursue his dream of competing in the NCAA.
After his time in the North American college league, Zheng made the leap to professionalism by joining the Kitsap Admirals, the team of the ABA league.
A follower of European basketball, Zheng began his Spanish journey in 2016 at Amico Castellón (LEB). In 2017 he entered the discipline of Movistar Estudiantes in a move that would be the step prior to his arrival at the ACB.
Urbas Fuenlabrada signs Bolong Zheng, the first Chinese player of the acb.
Fuenlabrada signs the first Chinese player of the acb
Bo Zheng is already part of the Urbas Fuenlabrada of ACB, a team with which he was already able to train in 2019. The negotiations to sign for the Madrid team were then interrupted due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
Fuenlabrada has 12 seasons in the highest Spanish basketball competition. Among its ranks have been players of the stature of Velimir Perasovic, José Manuel Calderón, Marko Popovic or Walter Herrmann.
Kalea Sport & Entertainment
“The arrival of Bolong Zheng to the Endesa League will serve as an inspiration to all those Chinese children who follow European basketball and who dream of competing in the ACB. From today you can already see that this dream can come true,” says Fran González, CEO of Kalea Group and Kalea Sport & Entertainment.
Kalea Sport & Entertainment is part of the consultancy Kalea Group that is dedicated to building alliances between Spain and the Asian giant. Precisely, thanks to its collaboration with the ACB, the second best basketball league in the world can be followed in China live and live through Bilibili, the video platform that has 223 million active users per month.
This agreement signed with the ACB is part of a strategic project developed by Kalea Group for the development of ACB basketball in China, which includes the creation of basketball academies in the cities of Ningbo and Xi’an with the aim of training both Chinese players and coaches and that tomorrow they arrive in Spain following in the footsteps of Bo Zheng.
