Shanghai_Sharks
Shanghai Sharks
Basketball team based in Shanghai, China
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]
It is best known outside China as the club that developed Yao Ming before he entered the National Basketball Association. With Yao on the team, the Sharks made the finals for three seasons in a row (in 1999–2000, 2000–01, and 2001–02), facing the Bayi Rockets each time. They were runners-up the first two years, but won the CBA championship for the first time on their third try, snapping a string of six Bayi Rockets championships in a row.
In August 1979, the Sharks played the Washington Bullets, when the Bullets became the first NBA team to travel to China.[4]: 156 The Sharks' center at the time was Yao Zhiyuan, father of Yao Ming.[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 2009–10 season due to their shaky finances. On July 16, 2009, Chinese media reported that Yao had stepped in to purchase the team.[5]
For the 2021–22 Chinese Basketball Association season, they have been on the country's top teams after they accomplished a major winning streak.[6] The team has been guided by head coach Li Chunjiang.[7]
The team itself has become an internet meme by NBA fans. The team is jokingly referred to as a future landing spot for players, mainly high profile stars, who under-perform in a game or series; particularly in the playoffs.[8][9][10][11]
