The Shanghai Sharks (), officially named Shanghai Juss Basketball Club Co., Ltd, are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Shanghai. The team competes in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), the highest tier. The team is perhaps best known for, and tied in many ways to, Yao Ming, who helped the team achieve their greatest successes first a player, and later as an owner.
In August 1979, the Sharks played the Washington Bullets, the first NBA team to travel to China, with Yao Zhiyuan—father of Yao Ming—as their center. Decades later, having developed Yao Ming before he entered the National Basketball Association (NBA), Yao was the driving force behind their three consecutive appearances in the CBA 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 their first CBA title on their third attempt, breaking the Rockets' streak of six consecutive championships.
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.CBA Roundup: Liaoning, Shanghai earn eight straight wins Xinhua (China Internet Information Center), 11 November 2021. Accessed 11 November 2021.
More recently the Sharks 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, Dillon Brooks, and Russell Westbrook were prominent victims of such jokes.
Honours CBA Champions (2): 2001–02, 2025–26 Runners-up (2): 1999–2000, 2000–01
CBA Club Cup Champions (2): 2024–25, 2025–26
Merlion Cup Winners (1): 2016
Players Roster
Sponsorship , the team's jersey sponsor has been the Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning.Ein Veteran für die Towers Ralf Schmitt (Bild), 25 October 2021. Accessed 26 October 2021.
Notable players
Players included in this section are considered notable for having achieved at least one of the following:
Set a club record while playing for the Sharks Won an individual award as a professional player Played at least one official international match for their senior national team Been ranked higher than Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James at any point in their careers (e.g., Lenny Cooke in 2001)
The following players meet at least one of the above criteria:
Wang Zhelin Yao Ming Liu Wei Jamaal Franklin Ray McCallum Jr. Yen Hsing-su Jimmer Fredette Kenny Lofton Jr. Lenny Cooke Hassan Whiteside
References
External links SINA.com.cn profile Shanghai Sharks on Weibo.com