The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals will start tonight with top-seeded Guangdong hosting number three Xinjiang in Game One. Ahead of the title series, CBA president and Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming met the press to discuss numerous issues, including former Houston Rocket Zhou Qi's status and possible changes for next year's Playoffs.

Yao, who became an icon after playing for the NBA side Houston Rockets between 2002 and 2011, said: "Zhou Qi went to the NBA two years ago and also contributed a lot to the national team during that time. His relationship with his former team Xinjiang has been fully considered, and both sides submitted their materials in an adequate, but limited time. We will soon reach a conclusion and inform everybody."

The former Shanghai Sharks player also mentioned, "Making the games more exciting, intense, and unpredictable is something we always need to think about. But some other factors we also need to consider in order to make the games better include, for example, how to ensure enough rest for the players during their journey."

"So whether we should make all playoff series best-of-seven, I think time will tell. I cannot give you an answer right now, because it would not be objective. We need to conduct studies, and our only goal is to make the games better," Yao added.

(Top image: Yao Ming (C), president of the Chinese Basketball Association, attends the 2019 CBA All-Star Weekend in Qingdao on January 12. /VCG Photo)