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.

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. They 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,^: 156 with Yao Zhiyuan - father of Yao Ming - as their center.^: 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.

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. 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.

De Shanghai Sharks zijn een Chinese professionele basketbalclub gevestigd in Shanghai. Het team is lid van de Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Ze spelen hun thuiswedstrijden in het Yuanshen Gymnasium. De Sharks werden in 1996 opgericht. Het team heeft twee CBA-kampioenschappen gewonnen, in 2002 en 2008.

De huidige hoofdcoach van de Sharks is Li Qiuping. Tot de opmerkelijke spelers behoren Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming en Yi Jianlian. De Sharks staan bekend om hun snelle en opwindende speelstijl. Ze hebben een grote schare fans in Shanghai en in heel China.

De Shanghai Sharks zijn een van de meest succesvolle basketbalclubs in China. Ze hebben een aantal van de beste spelers in het land voortgebracht en twee CBA-kampioenschappen gewonnen. De Sharks zijn een populaire attractie in Shanghai en hun wedstrijden zijn vaak uitverkocht.