Veterans don't die, they just wither. When the final whistle of the Qilu War sounded, Zhang Qingpeng, who was 39 years old, burst into tears. This game is likely to be the final chapter of his CBA career.
In the Qilu war, Zhang Qingpeng scored 39 points in the second half and 24 points in the last quarter, such a stunning performance, but he failed to help the team win. However, the protagonist of our article is not Zhang Qingpeng, but Tang Zhengdong, a former member of the Chinese men's basketball team.
Tang Zhengdong, who is 2 meters 13 tall, has a very exciting CBA career. Weighing more than 130 kilograms, he was once named "China O'Neill" by the American media. In the 2003-04, 04-05, 06-07 seasons, Tang Zhengdong won the regular season MVP three times, and his dominance in the CBA is evident.
At its peak, even NBA teams threw an olive branch to Tang Zhengdong. In the 2006-07 season, Tang Zhengdong averaged 28.1 points and 11 rebounds per game.
In 2011, Tang Zhengdong transferred to the Xinjiang men's basketball team for a transfer fee of up to 5 million yuan. In addition, Tang Zhengdong's annual salary in the Xinjiang men's basketball team is as high as 4 million yuan. Ten years ago, such annual salaries and transfer fees were sky-high prices.
Is Tang Zhengdong worth it? Without a doubt, worth it! Many fans like to compare Tang Zhengdong with the big players in active competition, such as Wang Zhelin and Zhou Qi. In fact, Tang Zhengdong can get 3 MVPs in his career, which is enough to explain everything. Unfortunately, Tang Zhengdong's performance in the international arena is much inferior to that of the CBA.
In 2018, Tang Zhengdong announced his retirement. After leaving the basketball court, Tang Zhengdong became the deputy general manager of Jiangsu Tongxi. From a player to a professional manager, Tang Zhengdong completed a gorgeous turn. Of course, Tang Zhengdong is an excellent player trained by Jiangsu, and after retiring, he continues to contribute to the development of the Jiangsu men's basketball team, which is also a reasonable thing.
Today, Tang Zhengdong's life is very comfortable. Going out to drive a luxury car and live in a mansion is the standard of daily life. Moreover, Tang Zhengdong is also keen on speculating in houses. Rich and idle, 38-year-old Tang Zhengdong is definitely a winner in life!