Confirmed! The debut battle ranks first in the league! Zeng Fanbo has finally made his comeback.

Welcome back.

A prominent domestic media figure reported that the Beijing team has received Zeng Fanbo’s clarification letter and his registration is nearly complete.

Almost at the same time,Beijing’s head coach Xu Limin confirmed that Zeng Fanbo will participate in the New Year’s match between Beijing and Guangdong on January 1, 2026, which will be his first game of the season.

Born on January 11, 2003, Zeng Fanbo is a 2.08-meter tall versatile forward who briefly joined the Nets this summer under an E-10 contract, playing only one NBA China preseason game before being waived. Recently, he signed a three-year B-level contract extension with the Beijing team.

Last season in the CBA, Zeng Fanbo played 37 regular-season games with 21 starts, averaging 28.1 minutes, contributing 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game, with shooting percentages of 52.6% and 40.5%. In the playoffs, he appeared in 5 games with 1 start, averaging 28.8 minutes, scoring 15 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1.6 blocks, shooting 56.3% and 43.3%.

This year has been very rewarding for Zeng Fanbo, earning spots on the domestic players’ first team and All-Star selections, as well as winning the Most Improved Player award. However, during Game 2 of the semifinals, he unfortunately suffered a transverse process fracture in his lumbar spine, which has hindered his career progress and affected his performance in China’s recent World Cup qualifiers against South Korea.

Although 22-year-old Zeng Fanbo may no longer reach the NBA heights once hoped for, he still has a strong chance to become one of the top domestic forwards in the CBA and a key member of the Chinese national basketball team.

So far this season, the Beijing team holds a 7-1 record, ranking third in the league behind Guangdong (8-0) and Guangsha (7-1). Shanghai, also with a strong roster, stands fifth at 6-2, while Qingdao (7-1) without Yang Hansen ranks fourth.

Beijing’s only loss to date came at home against the defending champion Guangsha team, with a score of 85-91.

The public is eagerly anticipating the fully assembled Beijing team, with most considering them the biggest title contenders this season...