Shanghai Sharks

The Shanghai Sharks (simplified Chinese: 上海久事大鲨鱼; traditional Chinese: 上海久事大鯊魚; pinyin: Shànghǎi Jǐushì Dàshāyú) are a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai.^[3]

Shanghai Sharks 上海久事大鲨鱼
Leagues	CBA
Founded	1996; 29 years ago (1996)
History	Shanghai Sharks (1996–present)
Arena	Shanghai Indoor Stadium[1]
Capacity	13,000
Location	Shanghai, China
Team colors	Blue, Orange, White
Head coach	Lu Wei
Ownership	Shanghai Jiushi Group[2]
Championships	1 (2002)
Website	shanghaisharks.cn
Home Away

Shanghai Sharks
Traditional Chinese	上海大鯊魚
Simplified Chinese	上海大鲨鱼
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shànghǎi dàshāyú Wade–Giles Shanghai tashayü Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Seung hoi2 daai6 sa1 yu2 Jyutping Seong hoi2 daai6 saa1 jyu4

The Sharks, who share their colors with the New York Knicks, are best known outside China for having developed Yao Ming before he entered the National Basketball Association. Yao was the driving force behind their three consecutive appearances in the finals (1999–2000, 2000–01, and 2001–02), facing the Bayi Rockets each time. The Sharks were runners-up the first two years, but won for the first time on their third try, breaking the Rockets' streak of six CBA championships in a row.

In August 1979, the Sharks played the Washington Bullets, the first NBA team to travel to China,^[4]: 156 with Yao Zhiyuan - father of Yao Ming - as their center.^[4]: 156

The team faced serious financial issues in the 2008–09 season, and were in danger of not being able to compete in the following season. On July 16, 2009, Chinese media reported that Yao Ming had stepped in to purchase the team.^[5]

In the 2021–22 season, under Li Chunjiang, the Sharks experienced a high bested only by the Yao era, reinvigorating their place among China's best basketball teams.^[6][7] Around that time, alongside the CBA as a whole, they became an Internet meme as a future landing spot for high-profile NBA stars who underperform in a game or series, particularly in the playoffs. Kyle Kuzma, Ben Simmons, and Dillon Brooks were prominent victims of such jokes.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Honours

CBA

Champions (1): 2001–02

Runners-up (2): 1999–2000, 2000–01

CBA In-Season Tournament

Champions (1): 2024–25

Merlion Cup

Winners (1): 2016

Players

Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.

Shanghai Sharks roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. G 1 Li Tianrong 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 89 kg (196 lb) PG 3 Yuan Tangwen 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 79 kg (174 lb) PG 4 Javontae Hawkins 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 95 kg (209 lb) C 9 Yan Pengfei 2.11 m (6 ft 11 in) 116 kg (256 lb) G 10 Xie Lirongwei 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 86 kg (190 lb) SG 11 Liu Cheng 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 86 kg (190 lb) G 12 Dai Hao 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 78 kg (172 lb) F 14 Li Hongquan 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 102 kg (225 lb) G/F 18 Liu Zipeng 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 90 kg (198 lb) G/F 19 Liu Zhengqing 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) 90 kg (198 lb) SF 20 Dong Hao 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 95 kg (209 lb) SF 21 Ma Diancheng 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 97 kg (214 lb) PG 22 Eric Bledsoe 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 97 kg (214 lb) G 25 Wan Menglin 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) 88 kg (194 lb) PF 32 Liu Lijia 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 103 kg (227 lb) PG 33 Luo Hanchen 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) 82 kg (181 lb) C 35 Kenneth Lofton Jr. 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 122 kg (269 lb) C 94 Wang Zhelin 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 121 kg (267 lb)	Head coach Lu Wei Assistant coach(es) Jie Jun James Duncan Legend (C) Team captain Injured Roster Updated: December 6, 2024

Sponsorship

As of 2025^[update], the team's jersey sponsor has been the Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning.^[12]

Notable players

Sharks players who have either set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player or who have played at least one official international match for his senior national team at any time include:

• Wang Zhelin^[6]
• Yao Ming
• Liu Wei
• Jamaal Franklin^[6]
• Ray McCallum Jr.^[12]
• Yen Hsing-su
• Jimmer Fredette
• Kenny Lofton Jr.