China basketball star Zhou Qi has said that he will not play in the upcoming Chinese Basketball Association season because of an ongoing contract dispute with his club, providing a headache for CBA chairman Yao Ming ahead of the new campaign. The Xinjiang Flying Tigers player announced his decision on China’s Twitter-like Weibo on Sunday, just days before the August 31 deadline for player registration with the league. Former NBA player Zhou believes that he should be a free agent after his contract expired this summer but having failed to negotiate his release from his club he has instead decided not to play. “I announce I am quitting the whole season. I will persist in safeguarding the legitimate rights of players because that’s my responsibility as a player,” Zhou wrote. “I hope what happened to me will spur the CBA league to set more reasonable standards and do a better job of protecting the legitimate rights of players. “Meanwhile, I will submit supplementary materials to the Chinese Basketball Association as soon as possible. I expect the association to conduct a fair and just arbitration over the matter.” Ex-NBA star Zhou Qi sorry after China legend calls him ‘big shot’ The CBA, whose chairman is former Houston Rockets NBA star Yao, have yet to comment on the contract dispute. Zhou has been one of China’s best known basketball players since bursting on to the scene in 2016 when he won the CBA title with Xinjiang in 2017. The 25-year-old was drafted at No 43 by the Houston Rockets in the 2016 NBA Draft but failed to make a breakthrough in the US before returning to his Chinese club. Yao ‘would have been among greatest’ without injuries, Horry says The Flying Tigers have argued that they are allowed to retain Zhou so long as he is offered the maximum CBA contract. China are hosts of the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou next year where Zhou would be expected to play a key role for the national team. He was part of the men’s team that failed to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Zhou is currently training with his native Liaoning province ahead of China’s National Games where he will play as one of their over-age players.