Ji Zhe

Ji Zhe (Chinese: 吉喆; 14 October 1986 – 5 December 2019) was a Chinese professional basketball player for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Playing the position of power forward for the Ducks, he won three CBA championships and served as the team's captain. He died from lung cancer at the age of 33.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Ji.
Ji Zhe
吉喆
Personal information
Born(1986-10-14)14 October 1986
Shenyang, Liaoning, China
Died5 December 2019(2019-12-05) (aged 33)
Beijing, China
NationalityChinese
Listed height203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight100 kg (220 lb)
Career information
CollegeNortheastern University
Playing career2005–2018
PositionPower forward
Number51
Career history
2005–2007Liaoning
2007–2018Beijing Ducks
Career highlights and awards
Ji Zhe
Chinese吉喆

Career

Ji Zhe was born 14 October 1986 in Shenyang, Liaoning, China. In 2005, he led the Northeastern University men's basketball team to win the 2nd Chinese University Basketball Super League championship.[1] He was also a member of the Liaoning provincial team which finished 4th at the 2005 National Games of China.[2]

In 2007, Liaoning loaned Ji to the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He permanently joined the Ducks in 2012. As a member of the Ducks, he won three CBA championships in 2012, 2014, and 2015.[3] He played the position of power forward and served as the captain of the Ducks.[1] He was listed at 2.03 metres (6 ft 8 in) tall and weighed 100 kilograms (220 lb).[4]

Ji played his final game on 22 March 2018, the Ducks' last game of the 2017–2018 CBA season.[5] During his CBA career he played 434 games, averaging 23.9 minutes, 7.3 points, and 4.7 rebounds per game.[6] He was considered a good rim protector.

Death

In August 2018, Ji was diagnosed with lung cancer, but did not publicly disclose the news and quietly sought treatment in the United States. Despite more than a year of treatment, his health deteriorated and he died on 5 December 2019 at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing, aged 33.[1] He had a son.[7]

On 8 December 2019, the Ducks' played their first home game after Ji's death as a tribute to him, and all Ducks players wore his No. 51 jersey before the game.[5] The team placed a T-shirt with the number 51 on each of the 18,000 seats inside the Wukesong Arena[7] and retired the number.[5] Many players and fans were in tears.[8][7] The Ducks defeated the visiting Shenzhen Aviators by the score of 102 to 100, with Jeremy Lin scoring three free throws in the final seconds of the game.[8][9] Lin called the comeback victory a "miracle".[8]

In the 2016 film My Other Home, a biopic of Ji's former Ducks teammate Stephon Marbury, the Taiwanese-Canadian actor Godfrey Gao portrayed the player based on Ji. By coincidence, Gao died suddenly at the age of 35, eight days before Ji's death.

References
  1. "吉喆，突然离开……". The Paper. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  2. Song Xiang 宋翔 (9 December 2019). "吉喆追悼会举行，北京首钢全队与大批球迷前来送别". The Paper. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. Jiang Lu (5 December 2019). "Former CBA champion captain's death shocks fans". China Daily. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  4. "CBA data: Ji Zhe". Sohu Sports. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  5. Han Er 韩二 (8 December 2019). "永远的51号！这一夜，北京男篮为吉喆而战". Sina Sports. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  6. Liu Wenming 刘文明 (5 December 2019). "前北京首钢冠军球员吉喆因肺癌去世 年仅33岁". Sina Sports. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  7. Su, Bin (8 December 2019). "Feature: Former CBA player Ji Zhe never leaves beloved basketball". Xinhua. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  8. White, Jonathan (9 December 2019). "Jeremy Lin seals last-gasp Ducks win on emotional night". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  9. Liu Chen 刘晨 (9 December 2019). "这一夜五棵松为吉喆流泪，北京会永远记住他的名字". The Beijing News (in Chinese). Retrieved 9 December 2019.
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