Chinese Basketball Association

Chinese Basketball Association (CBA)
Founded 1995 (1995)
First season 1995–96
Country  China
Confederation FIBA Asia (Asia)
Divisions 2
Number of teams 20
Level on pyramid 1
Current champions Liaoning Flying Leopards (1st title)
(2017–18 CBA season)
Most championships Bayi Rockets
Guangdong Southern Tigers
(8 titles each)
Website cba-chinaleague.com (in Chinese)
2018–19 CBA season
Chinese Basketball Association
Traditional Chinese 中國男子籃球職業聯賽
Simplified Chinese 中国男子篮球职业联赛

The Chinese Basketball Association (simplified Chinese: 中国男子篮球职业联赛; traditional Chinese: 中國男子籃球職業聯賽; pinyin: Zhōngguó Nánzǐ Lánqiú Zhíyè Liánsài), often abbreviated as CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China. It is widely regarded as the pre-eminent professional men's basketball league in Asia.

The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis. The CBA should not be confused with the National Basketball League (NBL), which is a professional minor league. There is also a Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA).

A few Chinese players who competed in the CBA in the early stages of their careers — including Wang Zhizhi, Mengke Bateer, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Sun Yue, and Zhou Qi — have also played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Others such as Xue Yuyang and Wang Zhelin were drafted into the NBA but did not, or have yet to, see regular season action on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Only a limited number of foreign players are allowed on each CBA team. Notable imports include former NBA All-Stars Stephon Marbury, Tracy McGrady, Gilbert Arenas, Steve Francis, and Metta World Peace — as well as several NBA veterans who would become CBA All-Stars — Michael Beasley, Aaron Brooks, Jimmer Fredette, Al Harrington, Lester Hudson, Kenyon Martin, Randolph Morris, Shavlik Randolph, and J.R. Smith.

Background

The CBA began play in the 199596 season. The league should not be confused with the Chinese Basketball Association (organisation), which was founded in June 1956[1] and represents the country in matters involving the sport's governing body, FIBA. Basketball in China is currently regulated by the Chinese Basketball Management Center.

Other Chinese basketball leagues include the National Basketball League (NBL), the Chinese University Basketball Association (CUBA), and the Chinese High School Basketball League (CHBL).[2] At one time there was a league called the Chinese New Basketball Alliance (CNBA),[3] one of whose most prominent teams was the Beijing Sea Lions, but this venture lasted for just one winter (1996–97).[4]

The first non-Chinese player to compete in the CBA was Mihail Savinkov of Uzbekistan, who joined the Zhejiang Squirrels in the league's inaugural 199596 campaign.[5] During the 199697 season, James Hodges became one of the first Americans to play in the CBA, and his signing by the Liaoning Hunters helped pave the way for many more imports from the United States to follow in the ensuing years.

Some other notable foreign pioneers included John Spencer, who joined the Jiangsu Dragons later in the 199697 campaign, and David Vanterpool, who inked a deal with the Jilin Northeast Tigers the following winter, and helped the team move up to the CBA in time for the 199899 season. The CBA's first international coach was American Robert Hoggard, who led the Sichuan Pandas for the last eight games of the 199798 campaign.[6]

Team names

For a full list of teams, see Category:Chinese Basketball Association teams.

The full name of each team usually consists of three parts, in the following order:

  1. A geographic designation (except in the case of Bayi, which technically translates into English as "August First," the day China's People's Liberation Army was founded). All others are province-level designations (either a province or a Chinese municipality).
  2. A corporate sponsor name. This sponsor may change from year to year, and sometimes even in mid-season.
  3. A nickname, such as the name of an animal.

The presence of corporate sponsor names can occasionally lead to confusion about what name to use in English because many variants may be seen. Team names are usually abbreviated (in Chinese or English), so that either the corporate sponsor name or the nickname is used interchangeably (rarely both). In addition, team nicknames can sometimes be translated into English in more than one way, and corporate sponsors tend to change frequently over time.

Nickname changes are rare, but occasionally happen, such as when the Shandong team switched from Flaming Bulls (1995) to Lions (2003) to Gold Lions (2004) to Golden Stars (2014). Other examples include the Liaoning team dumping Hunters (1995) for Dinosaurs (2008) and then Flying Leopards (2011) -- as well as the Foshan team's evolving attempts to "Anglicize" its nickname—by going from Kylins (2001) to Dralions to Long-Lions

In previous years, the title of the league itself was available for corporate naming sponsorship. In 1999–2000 and 2000–2001 it was known as the Hilton League, in 2001–2002 and 2002–2003 it was the Motorola League, and in 2003–2004 it was sponsored by China Unicom. These corporate league titles were not always used in the news media, however, and this sponsorship practice was discontinued at the start of the 2004–2005 season.[7]

Current clubs

While teams are listed by division here, the CBA does not use these designations for regular season scheduling anymore, as each squad now plays each other once at home and once on the road. Divisions are used for the league's annual All-Star Game, however, and are shown here for the sake of convenience.

Timeline

This is a chronological listing of current and former CBA teams according to the season that they entered the league.

Nanjing Monkey KingBeikong Fly DragonsSichuan Blue WhalesTianjin RonggangQingdao DoubleStarZhejiang LionsShenzhen LeopardsYunnan BullsShanxi ZhongyuFujian SturgeonsXinjiang Flying TigersHong Kong Flying DragonsPure-Youth Construction Basketball TeamShenzhen YikangGuangzhou Long-LionsJilin Northeast TigersBeijing OlympiansShanghai SharksZhejiang Golden BullsShandong Golden StarsLiaoning Flying LeopardsJiangsu DragonsGuangdong Southern TigersBeijing DucksBayi Rockets

Current Teams Defunct Teams

CBA Championship Series

In 2005, the league unveiled the Mou Zuoyun Cup (simplified Chinese: 牟作云杯; traditional Chinese: 牟作雲杯; pinyin: Móu Zuòyún Bēi), which was awarded for the first time to the winning team in the CBA Finals. Mou Zuoyun (born 1913) was a member of the Chinese men's national basketball team which competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics, and he later served as a coach and a pioneer in building Chinese basketball.[9]

SeasonChampionsResultRunners-upFinals MVPNotes
1995–96Bayi Rockets2 – 0Guangdong Southern TigersHome/Away format used for 2 seasons
1996–97Bayi Rockets2 – 0Liaoning Hunters
1997–98Bayi Rockets3 – 0Liaoning HuntersBest-of-Five series used for 8 seasons
1998–99Bayi Rockets3 – 0Liaoning Hunters
1999–00Bayi Rockets3 – 0Shanghai SharksWang Zhizhi (Bayi)
2000–01Bayi Rockets3 – 1Shanghai SharksLiu Yudong (Bayi)
2001–02Shanghai Sharks3 – 1Bayi RocketsYao Ming (Shanghai)
2002–03Bayi Rockets3 – 1Guangdong Southern TigersLiu Yudong (Bayi)
2003–04Guangdong Southern Tigers3 – 1Bayi RocketsDu Feng (Guangdong)
2004–05Guangdong Southern Tigers3 – 2Jiangsu DragonsZhu Fangyu (Guangdong)
2005–06Guangdong Southern Tigers4 – 1Bayi RocketsYi Jianlian (Guangdong)Best-of-Seven series used since 2005–06
2006–07Bayi Rockets4 – 1Guangdong Southern TigersWang Zhizhi (Bayi)
2007–08Guangdong Southern Tigers4 – 1Liaoning HuntersZhu Fangyu (Guangdong)
2008–09Guangdong Southern Tigers4 – 1Xinjiang Flying TigersZhu Fangyu (Guangdong)
2009–10Guangdong Southern Tigers4 – 1Xinjiang Flying TigersZhu Fangyu (Guangdong)
2010–11Guangdong Southern Tigers4 – 2Xinjiang Flying TigersWang Shipeng (Guangdong)
2011–12Beijing Ducks4 – 1Guangdong Southern TigersLee Hsueh-lin (Beijing)
2012–13Guangdong Southern Tigers4 – 0Shandong Gold LionsYi Jianlian (Guangdong)
2013–14Beijing Ducks4 – 2Xinjiang Flying TigersRandolph Morris (Beijing)
2014–15Beijing Ducks4 – 2Liaoning Flying LeopardsStephon Marbury (Beijing)
2015–16Sichuan Blue Whales4 – 1Liaoning Flying LeopardsHamed Haddadi (Sichuan)
2016–17Xinjiang Flying Tigers4 – 0Guangdong Southern TigersDarius Adams (Xinjiang)
2017–18Liaoning Flying Leopards4 – 0Zhejiang LionsLester Hudson (Liaoning)

CBA Finals appearances

This is a list of teams which have advanced to the CBA Finals and the overall win-loss records they have compiled in the Championship Series.

Num.TeamWLPct.Notes
13Guangdong Southern Tigers85.615Made every Finals from 2002–03 to 2012–13
11Bayi Rockets83.727Made every Finals from 1995–96 to 2003–04
3Beijing Ducks301.000
7Liaoning Flying Leopards16.143
5Xinjiang Flying Tigers14.200
3Shanghai Sharks12.333
1Sichuan Blue Whales101.000
1Jiangsu Dragons01.000
1Shandong Golden Stars01.000
1Zhejiang Lions01.000

Awards

The CBA Most Valuable Player is awarded to the best player in a given CBA season. The award is handed out two times: one for the Chinese MVP and one for a foreign MVP. As well, each year the CBA Finals MVP award is handed out to the best player in a given CBA Finals series.

Scoring leaders

Records

All-time records

Category Total Player
Points [10] 11,287China Zhu Fangyu
Rebounds 4,548China Mengke Bateer
Assists 1,807China Hu Xuefeng
Steals 1,313China Hu Xuefeng
Blocks 736China Wang Zhizhi
Three-pointers [11] 1,621China Zhu Fangyu
Dunks 498United States Jason Dixon

Single game records

Category Total Player Date
Points [12] 82United States Errick McCollum2015 January 30
Rebounds 38United States Garth Joseph2002 March 20
Assists 28China Li Qun2000 February 02
Steals 13China Ju Weisong1995–96 season
China Zhang Yongjun1996–97 season
China Hu Xuefeng2004 December 01
Blocks [13][14] 13China Yao Ming2000–01 season
Ivory Coast Hervé Lamizana2010 February 10
United States Sean Williams2010 February 26
Three-pointers [15] 15United States Leon Rodgers2009 March 11
Dunks 10United States James Hodges1998–99 season
Minutes 67Iran Samad Nikkhah Bahrami2014 February 09

Notable players

Listed below are some of the most accomplished Chinese players who have competed in the CBA.

Domestic players from the CBA who are renowned for crossing over to the NBA

Name CBA Team (Years) NBA Team (Years) Drafted
Mengke Bateer Beijing Ducks (1997–2002, 2005-2006, 2013–2014)

Sichuan Blue Whales (2013) Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2007–2013)

Denver Nuggets (2002)

San Antonio Spurs (2002–2003)

Toronto Raptors (2003–2004)

Undrafted in 1999 NBA Draft
Sun Yue Beijing Olympians (2002–2008, 2009-2013)

Beijing Ducks (2013–present)

Los Angeles Lakers (2008–2009) 2007 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40th overall

Selected by the Los Angeles Lakers

Wang Zhizhi Bayi Rockets (1995–2001, 2005–2015) Dallas Mavericks (2001–2002)

Los Angeles Clippers (2002–2003)

Miami Heat (2003–2005)

1999 / Round: 2 / Pick: 36th overall

Selected by the Dallas Mavericks

Yao Ming Shanghai Sharks (1997–2002) Houston Rockets (2002–2011) 2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall

Selected by the Houston Rockets

Yi Jianlin Guangdong Southern Tigers (2002–2007, 2011, 2012–present) Milwaukee Bucks (2007–2008)

New Jersey Nets (2008–2010)

Washington Wizards (2010–2011)

Dallas Mavericks (2012)

2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall

Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks

Zhou Qi Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2014–2017) Houston Rockets (2017–present) 2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46th overall

Selected by the Houston Rockets

Domestic players from the CBA who were drafted but have not played in the NBA

Name CBA Team (Years) Drafted
Wang Zhelin Fujian Sturgeons (2012–2017) 2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 57th overall

Selected by the Memphis Grizzlies

Xue Yuyang Jilin Northeast Tigers (2001–2003)

Hong Kong Flying Dragons (2003)

Xinjiang Flying Tigers (2003–2011)

Qingdao Eagles (2011–2014)

2003 / Round: 2 / Pick: 57th overall

Selected by the Dallas Mavericks

Domestic players from the CBA who are known for league or national team exploits

Scroll down to view more names.

Foreign imports

Listed below are some of the most accomplished foreign players who have competed in the CBA.

Non-Chinese players who spent more than one season in the CBA

Scroll down to view more names

High-profile foreigners who spent just one season in the CBA

Scroll down to view more names.

See also

References

  1. http://www.china.org.cn/english/features/2004-2005cba/118959.htm
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-05-03. Retrieved 2005-04-09.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2010-03-13. (in Chinese)
  4. http://sports.163.com/08/1022/15/4OSAE49600052UUC.html (in Chinese)
  5. http://sports.163.com/15/0622/17/ASNSEL9I00052UUC.html (in Chinese)
  6. http://news.dongyingnews.cn/system/2014/11/06/010484971.shtml (in Chinese)
  7. http://english.people.com.cn/200404/29/eng20040429_141879.shtml
  8. Chinese international basketball player Liu Xiaoyu joins the Beijing Ducks on a "low-salary" contract
  9. http://english.people.com.cn/english/200107/15/eng20010715_75021.html
  10. CBA All-Time Scoring Leader Zhu Fangyu Retires
  11. CBA All-Time Scoring Leader Zhu Fangyu Retires
  12. Goshen College Graduate Errick McCollum Scores 82 Points
  13. Tianjin Replaces David Harrison With Hervé Lamizana
  14. Ex-Net Sean Williams Last Week Tied The CBA Record Of 13 Blocks In One Game
  15. World Records: Most Three-Pointers Made In One Game
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