Choi Yongxi restarted system training and was suspended for 171 days due to a cruciate ligament fracture

Qilu Evening News·Qilu One Point Feng Zihan

On June 2, Chinese men's basketball player Cui Yongxi shared a short video on his personal social media account, which was about his training on the stadium, and the caption was: On the 171st day after the ACL broke, he returned to the system for training.

It is worth mentioning that on May 28, Choi Yongxi just celebrated her 22nd birthday. My friends held a small "concert" for him so that Xiao Cui could sing his favorite songs. Looking back on the past one year old, Choi Yongxi couldn't help but shed tears on the scene.

Indeed, the past year has both highlights and lows for Choi Yongxi. During the offseason, he announced that he would participate in the NBA draft and enter the United States alone. After losing the draft, Choi Yongxi did not give up and completed trial training for six NBA teams including the Nets, Grizzlies, Jazz, Pacers, Trail Blazers, and Knicks, and then represented the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Summer League. On September 21 last year, Cui and the Nets officially signed a two-year two-way contract and became the seventh Chinese player to make their debut in the NBA main game.

In the 2024-2025 season, Cui Yongxi played 5 regular season games for the Nets, averaging 2 minutes of playing time, scoring 0.6 points and 0.4 rebounds; in the Development League, playing 6 games, averaging 14 minutes per game, scoring 5.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.0 assists.

Everything seems to be developing positively, but on December 12 last year, Choi Yongxi fell to the ground while competing for rebounds with his opponent at the end of the second quarter and was diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament torn left knee (ACL) and was reimbursed for the season. The Nets then officially announced the layoff of Choi Yongxi.

At that time, Cui Yongxi said: "The story of hoping to go against the current has not ended yet. Now I will add a copy to me, and I will be reborn in Nirvana. Even if I die, I will die on the battlefield. I will devote all my time to basketball. I will definitely have no regrets after these ten years."

Now, the script of Nirvana Rebirth has begun. Choi Yongxi, who has returned to the court to train, still hopes to do his best to stay in the NBA. "It 'sthetimeforback! (It's time to return!)" he wrote on social media.