For all you basketball fans travelling in China be prepared to be blown away by one of the most exciting leagues in the world. The
Chinese Basketball Association, most commonly known as the CBA is the professional basketball league in the country, not to be confused by the National Basketball League (NBL), the semi-professional league, or the 2nd Tier of Chinese Basketball. CBA has homed a few players who have also played in the biggest basketball association in the world, the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the USA. These players include the world famous Yao Ming, as well as, Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian, Sun Lee, Mengke Bateer and Stephon Marbury. So if you ever Travel to Beijing, Travel to Shanghai, or even Xi’an, try and keep an evening free to witness this spectacular sporting feast.
The league started in 1995 and has been getting increasingly popular since then. There are now 17 teams in total registered in the CBA. The current champions are Guangdong Southern Tigers (left) and the Bayi Rockets have won the league the most times, 8 in total. The Rockets, when the league was created, were the dominant force in Chinese Basketball. They control is seen in the record books. They hold the record of scoring the most points in a season, 163. They have also been in the final 11 times. In recent years their control of the league has been overtaken by the Guangdong Southern Tigers, who have just won the 4th consecutive League Championship. Only three teams have thus won the championship, the other one is the Shanghai Sharks, who won it back in 2002. So, one could argue, the league isn’t that competitive, however its still early days and perhaps the new season will bring a new champion.
As for the two main cities in China, the Shanghai Sharks and the Beijing Ducks have yet to excel in the League, not so much the Sharks, but the Beijing Ducks have still yet to reach the final of the championship. The Ducks have four international players in their squad. Despite having had four notable American players in their team (George Acjles, Cedric Bozeman, Ernest Brown and Steve Francis) over the years, they still haven’t managed to make their mark in Chinese Basketball. As for Shanghai, they have reached the final three times, winning once. The Sharks are known for developing one of the best players in the NBA, Yao Ming, who moved onto the Houston Rockets (USA) in 2002. That season, Shanghai won the CBA. Yao then moved onto becoming an icon in China. Advertisement hoardings all over the nation display this 7 foot 6 inch sporting giant. To this day, he remains the CBA’s biggest export.
The Chinese Basketball League is becoming a haven for international players, coaches and investors. If you’re a huge basketball fan and you are in China, I would strongly recommend you ask you China Hotels to assist you in getting tickets for a game. They are truly a must-see event in this incredible country.
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