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), 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.
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.
Contents
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
Sponsorship
As of 2025, the team's jersey sponsor has been the Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning.
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: