| Shanghai Sharks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Nickname | 上海久事大鲨鱼 | |||
| Leagues | CBA | |||
| Founded | 1996 | |||
| History | Shanghai Sharks (1996–present) | |||
| Arena | Shanghai Indoor Stadium | |||
| Capacity | 13,000 | |||
| Location | Shanghai, China | |||
| Team colors | Orange, blue, white | |||
| Head coach | Lu Wei | |||
| Ownership | Shanghai Jiushi Group | |||
| Championships | 2 (2002, 2026) | |||
| Retired numbers | 2 (8, 15) | |||
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| Shanghai Sharks | |||||||||||||||
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| Traditional Chinese | 上海大鯊魚 | ||||||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 上海大鲨鱼 | ||||||||||||||
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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,: 156 with Yao Zhiyuan—father of Yao Ming—as their center.: 156 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.
