Since Yao Ming's 2011 retirement, NBA-obsessed fans in China have yearned for another homegrown hero. It is too early to say if Zhou Qi could be that star, but let's look at how the two fared in their final CBA seasons before going into the draft.

The numbers are skewed heavily in favour of the recent addition to the hall-of-fame, as Yao averaged more than 32-points a game, double Zhou's tally. The former number one overall pick in the NBA also averaged almost twice as many rebounds. 19 compared to nine-point-eight. Yao was almost two blocks better than the Xinjiang center. And the former Shanghai Shark, was a beast down low, that is why he led the CBA in field goal percentage, connecting on 72-percent of his shots. Zhou, averaged a very respectable 55-percent from the field. Yao also helped Shanghai to their only title, and even hit all 21-shots in one game in the CBA Finals. Zhou's best result was this past season, when he helped Xinjiang make it to the semi-finals.