Basketball player suspended for allegedly concealing girlfriend in luggage
A prominent player from the Guangzhou Loong Lions has faced allegations of breaching club regulations by covertly allowing his girlfriend to enter the team dormitory. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
A key player for the Guangzhou Loong Lions has faced allegations of sneaking a girl into the team dormitory.
Reports from local media state that Zhang Xingliang, a player for the professional basketball club Guangzhou Loong Lions, has been suspended for breaching club regulations after supposedly smuggling his girlfriend into the dormitory inside a suitcase.
The club remarked on Wednesday that Zhang did not manage his personal affairs properly.
The controversy erupted just a day before Zhang’s team suffered a 103-90 defeat to the Qingdao Eagles.
In Chinese basketball, players are typically prohibited from inviting guests—including girlfriends—into team dormitories, particularly before games.
The girlfriend, described in some media sources as a struggling arts student, reportedly shared images from the dormitory on the social media platform Sina Weibo, one of which showed her confined inside a suitcase. These images quickly gained attention online, leading to significant backlash.
The girl subsequently removed the contentious photos, asserting that she had been studying English all night in the dormitory. Zhang also offered a public apology, stating that he was assisting her with her homework.
In a club statement, Zhang acknowledged that he “should set a higher requirement for himself as a young player.”
At just 20 years old, Zhang has participated in 26 games for the Lions during the current 2024-25 season of the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 6.4 points per game.
The South China Morning Post later reported that the club refuted the claims of the suitcase incident. An anonymous official alleged that the image on the girlfriend’s social media was taken in August during the offseason.
The club mentioned that the girl had visited Zhang’s dormitory to help him pack his clothes and, intrigued by the size of Zhang’s suitcase, requested a picture of herself inside it.
According to the report by the South China Morning Post, many fans have been criticizing Zhang’s girlfriend for his inconsistent performance in recent games.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
Reports from local media state that Zhang Xingliang, a player for the professional basketball club Guangzhou Loong Lions, has been suspended for breaching club regulations after supposedly smuggling his girlfriend into the dormitory inside a suitcase.
The club remarked on Wednesday that Zhang did not manage his personal affairs properly.
The controversy erupted just a day before Zhang’s team suffered a 103-90 defeat to the Qingdao Eagles.
In Chinese basketball, players are typically prohibited from inviting guests—including girlfriends—into team dormitories, particularly before games.
The girlfriend, described in some media sources as a struggling arts student, reportedly shared images from the dormitory on the social media platform Sina Weibo, one of which showed her confined inside a suitcase. These images quickly gained attention online, leading to significant backlash.
The girl subsequently removed the contentious photos, asserting that she had been studying English all night in the dormitory. Zhang also offered a public apology, stating that he was assisting her with her homework.
In a club statement, Zhang acknowledged that he “should set a higher requirement for himself as a young player.”
At just 20 years old, Zhang has participated in 26 games for the Lions during the current 2024-25 season of the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 6.4 points per game.
The South China Morning Post later reported that the club refuted the claims of the suitcase incident. An anonymous official alleged that the image on the girlfriend’s social media was taken in August during the offseason.
The club mentioned that the girl had visited Zhang’s dormitory to help him pack his clothes and, intrigued by the size of Zhang’s suitcase, requested a picture of herself inside it.
According to the report by the South China Morning Post, many fans have been criticizing Zhang’s girlfriend for his inconsistent performance in recent games.
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
