Official debut! Hello, Zhao Rui! The Guangdong team has waited a full two years.

In the men's basketball group stage of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao National Games,the host Guangdong team beat Shandong 87-71to easily claim a winning start.

Here are the statistics for the Guangdong team:

Here are the statistics for the Shandong team:

It has been a long time since we last saw Zhao Rui’s jersey bearing the word "Guangdong" on the chest,in this game he started and played 24 minutes, shooting 6 of 12 with 4 of 7 from three-point range, contributing 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists.He scored the second highest points on the team and led both the team and the entire game in assists, playing with increasing ease and calmness, exuding strong leadership qualities.

During the match, Zhao Rui also connected on court with his senior brother Zhou Peng, a scene once common but now to be cherished.

Notably, before the game, Guo Shiqiang, who came to scout players, specifically came down from the stands to meet and talk with Zhao Rui; the close cooperation between the head coach and captain helped China’s men’s basketball team win the runner-up at this year’s Asia Cup, reigniting public confidence in the national team.

On November 28 (home) and December 1 (away), China’s men’s basketball team will face South Korea in two World Cup qualifiers, and barring surprises, we can expect to see Guo Shiqiang and Zhao Rui team up again, aiming to close 2025 with two wins.

Back to the CBA, Zhao Rui played for Guangdong for seven seasons, winning three championships; in the summer of 2023, he was traded to Xinjiang in exchange for Zhou Qi, bringing his talent there, and this summer he was traded to Beijing and signed a three-year Class C contract, with strong prospects to compete for his fourth career championship next season.

Yes, Zhao Rui has been away from Guangdong for two years, and many still find it hard to accept him wearing another team’s jersey; now 29 years old, he could theoretically return by age 32, but usually once the bow is drawn, there is no turning back—if they didn’t want to part ways, they wouldn’t have separated in the first place.

There are no endless gatherings; every story eventually comes to an end.

Regardless, Guangdong remains the starting point of Zhao Rui’s dreams and the most glorious chapter of his career.

What else can be said? Wishing both sides a bright future as they advance on their respective paths.