Announced! Guangdong's foreign star player suspended! The first penalty of the CBA offseason

Here it comes.

The first penalty of the CBA offseason this summer has just been released.

The Chinese Basketball Association issued a statement,stating that because Gillenwater violated doping rules during the 24-25 season, he is suspended for three months. Guangdong received a warning and must pay a 36,000 yuan testing fee.

It is worth mentioning that Gillenwater has already taken his skills to Taiwan's P. LEAGUE+, joining the Taipei Fubon Braves.

Last season, this player averaged 29.9 minutes per game in the regular season, scoring 25.9 points, grabbing 7.3 rebounds, and providing 2 assists, with shooting percentages of 53.1%, 40.4%, and 89.2% for the three categories; in the playoffs, he averaged 29.7 minutes, contributing 22.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1 steal per game, shooting 46.3%, 31.3%, and 94.9% respectively.

If it weren't for the doping incident, Guangdong would likely have renewed Gillenwater's contract, but unfortunately, there's no "if." They have already replaced him by signing Salinger with a net salary of 1.2 million USD per year.

Although the suspension is only for three months, considering the serious impact of the doping case and Gillenwater’s advanced age of 36, his CBA career is effectively over. He played five seasons here, was selected once for the All-Star team, and his skills were well recognized, but he couldn't avoid this self-inflicted downfall.

Because he played five seasons in the CBA, Gillenwater has developed a deep affection for China,and he once stated in an interview that he was willing to become a naturalized player for the Chinese national basketball team...

The Chinese national team has always required naturalized players to be guards, so Gillenwater, who plays as a power forward, is clearly unsuitable, especially given his age. Even without the doping issue, it would have been difficult for him to join the national team. If a naturalized interior player were needed, Tianjin’s James (28 years old) and Shanghai’s Lofton (23 years old) would be more appropriate choices than Gillenwater.

On November 28, the Chinese men's basketball team will officially start their World Cup qualifying campaign aiming for the 2027 tournament, hosting South Korea; on December 1, they will face South Korea again in an away game.

Hopefully, they can continue the surprises from the Asia Cup and finish 2025 with two victories for a perfect ending.