Xinjiang guard Zhao suspended five matches in CBA for bumping game official

Xinjiang Flying Tigers guard Zhao Rui was banned for five matches for intentionally dashing against a game official in a recent Chinese Basketball Association match, the league's governing body announced on Thursday.

With 5:03 remaining in the first quarter of Wednesday's game against the Shandong Heroes, Zhao fell down while making a fast-break layup. After getting up, an incensed Zhao rebuked the match official for a non-call and was called for a technical foul.

Discontented with the officiating, the guard then moved toward and nudged the game official before being ejected. When leaving the court, Zhao still pointed at the game official and gave him verbal abuse. Xinjiang eventually fell 107-111 to Shandong, suffering its first home defeat of the season.

Apart from his suspension, Zhao was also fined 100,000 yuan (US$13,700).

Zhao, who joined Xinjiang in the 2023-24 season, averaged 9.6 points and 4.6 assists in 14 appearances this season.

Zhao offered his "deepest apology" to everyone that was impacted by the incident and his inappropriate actions.

"As a professional basketball player, I'm responsible for representing the image of the team, league, and Chinese basketball. But at that moment, I didn't undertake my responsibilities, which I feel deeply guilty and self-reproachful about," he wrote onthe Chinese social media platform Weibo.

"I respect and accept the punishment, and express my apology by taking real action," Zhao added.

As it was not the first time that Xinjiang players violated the league's relevant rules in the current campaign, the team's head coach Liu Wei was fined 20,000 yuan.

Xinjiang sits sixth among 20 CBA teams with a win-loss record of 18-6.