As the representative star player of Taiwan, Cheng was selected to All-Tournament Team for the William Jones Cup international tournament for numerous times and to the FIBA Asian All-Star roster in 1998.
A stable mid- and long range shooter, Cheng was also acclaimed for his smart offensive running, crafty moves, and great body coordination in the air that enabled him to "bore" through the defense like a slippery dojo loach and score from various angles and distances.
After the Taiwanese professional league, as well as his home club, the Hung Kuo Elephants, came to disbandment due to financial difficulties in 1999, Cheng moved to play for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association in mainland China.
Under the arrangement of his sponsor Wang Jen-ta (王人達), the then-president of the executive board of the Republic of China Basketball Association (中華民國籃球協會) and a political ally of James Soong, Cheng Chih-lung ran for and won the 2001 legislative election as the People First Party (PFP) nominee in the first district of Taipei County.
In the capacity of legislator, nevertheless, Cheng Chih-lung was given the credit of working with the government's Sports Affairs Council to give birth to the Super Basketball League, which started to function in 2003.