Standing at a height of 2.01 meters (6'7") tall, and weighing 104 kilograms (230 pounds), he played at the small forward position.

During his 18-year club career, Zhu helped the Guangdong Southern Tigers win eight Continental Basketball Association (CBA) titles, which was tied for the most in league history at the time of his retirement.

On 19 February 2016, in a game against the Shandong Golden Stars, Zhu became the first player in CBA history to score more than 11,000 career points, after previously becoming the first to surpass the 10,000-point milestone.

After he retired from playing pro club basketball, Zhu moved into the Guangdong Southern Tigers' front office, and he became the team's general manager.

[3][4] Regular season and Playoffs combined Zhu Fangyu was married to rhythmic gymnast Hu Mei, whom he met at the 2004 Summer Olympics, from 2008 to 2013.