Nets two way and China’s sole representative in the NBA, Cui Yongxi, aka Jacky Cui, is done for the season after tearing his ACL two nights ago.
Cui Yongxi, the two way player better known as Jacky Cui, has been ruled out of the season with a torn ACL in his left knee, per a tweet from the Brooklyn Nets official account Friday…
Brooklyn Nets forward Cui Yongxi has been diagnosed with a torn ACL of the left knee. The injury occurred while playing for the Long Island Nets, Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Cui, who will miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season, is expected to make…
— Brooklyn Nets (@BrooklynNets) December 13, 2024
Under league rules, Cui will remain on the roster so the Nets will not be able to replace him.
Ironically, Cui’s next game in a Nets uniform could be in his native China. Brooklyn will open preseason next year with two games in Macao. Cui had told ND how he was looking forward to playing in front of his family, friends and fans in Macao, just a short drive or ferry Friday from Hong Kong.
Cui took a bad fall trying to retrieve a rebound late in the second quarter of Long Island’s game vs the Maine Celtics Wednesday game. In pain, Cui wasn’t able to stand and when trainers carried him off the court, they were careful to elevate his left knee so he didn’t put any weight on it.
The injury sustained by Jacky Cui in the second quarter of Friday’s game. His knee buckled under him it looks like.
Hope it’s nothing too serious.@NetsDaily #StrongIsland #NetsWorld pic.twitter.com/4nlu4VUqo9
— Scott Mitchell (@Scott44Mitchell) December 12, 2024
Chinese fans offered their best wishes to Cui, one of the country’s most popular players, on various social media. Before the severity of the injury was known, one fan offered this on Twitter.
Sometimes I get up in the middle of the night to watch your games just to see you on the court. When you were injured yesterday, my heart skipped a beat. I hope you’re okay. You’ve just started playing and your performance is getting better and better. I didn’t sleep all night.
The 21-year-old is the NBA’s only Chinese player. Cui signed a two-year, two-way deal with the Brooklyn Nets, which saw him spend much time in Brooklyn. Lately, however, he has been getting some playing time in the NBA G-League on behalf of the Long Island Nets. He comes into the league highly scouted, with a ton of potential.
The 6’7” shooting guard is probably China’s top young player. He represented the Chinese Men’s National team and had spent time with the NBA Academy in Australia, the G-League combine, and even played in the NBA Summer League for the Portland Trail Blazers.
He has a close relationship with Dariq Whitehead, with the two being seen practicing a lot together and working on their shots together. Cui has also been spoken highly of by his teammates in Brooklyn, like Cam Johnson who said Cui “brings positive energy every day.”
Cui had just began improving of late. He played a much more physical game on Wednesday than we’ve seen of him. Before the injury, Cui picked up two points, four rebounds, and three assists in 10 minutes. The game before was Cui’s best game as a Net, whether it be in Brooklyn or Long Island. He recorded 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and even had three steals.
The injury comes at a rough time for Long Island who have lost eight straight games and have the G League’s worst record at 2-11. Also, the team just lost AJ Lawson, their leading scorer. He signed a two-way deal with the Toronto Raptors.
Cui is expected to make a full recovery and will be back on the court. It remains to be seen exactly when he will be back, but one thing is for sure, it will not be this season.