Former Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles basketball player Shang Ping signed a three-year contract with Greek basketball club Panathinaikos on Thursday, becoming the first Chinese player to join a European club.

The 2.05-meter-high player told sohu.com on Thursday, "I've already terminated my contract with Qingdao. I joined Panathinaikos to learn more and offer some experience to those who are planning to play abroad."

Shang was born in 1984. Starting 2005, he played in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) while he was ­studying in the US. In the 2005-06 season, he held ­averages of 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in 30 games when he played for ­Illinois Central College.

He started his Chinese Basketball Association ­career in 2009 when he joined ­Beijing Jinyu Ducks, where he averaged 4.1 points and 3.5 rebounds in 30 games.

In 2010, he transferred to Shanxi Zhongyu Brave ­Dragons where he achieved his career-best performances, ­averaging 9.8 points and 5.5 ­rebounds in 30 games.

The forward didn't do well in 2011 in Shanxi and made a shift to Qingdao in 2012, but only offered 0.8 points and 1.5 rebounds in average in seven games.

However, a basketball fan said Thursday on his Sina ­Weibo that Shang's contribution cannot be judged only by statistics; his attitude in ­defense was really impressive.

Luo Le, a sports ­commentator with Titan Sports newspaper, told the Global Times on Thursday that Shang's move is a good sign for Chinese basketball.

"Shang's experience in the NCAA showed another way of personal development to ­Chinese basketball players. His great adaptability which he built up during those years has helped him a lot," Luo said.

Panathinaikos Basketball Club, founded in 1922, is the only team in Europe to win the ­Euroleague - the most important professional club basketball competition in Europe - six times since the establishment of the modern Euroleague ­Final Four format in 1988.

Global Times