BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) disqualified the Shanghai Sharks and the Jiangsu Dragons from the 2022-2023 CBA season on Monday, citing their lack of competitive effort in the first round of the playoffs.
In a statement, the CBA Disciplinary and Ethics Commission confirmed that Shanghai displayed negative contention in the second game of the series on April 11, while Jiangsu demonstrated a lack of competitive effort in the third game on April 14. In this game, Jiangsu made several unbelievable turnovers at critical moments in the fourth quarter, which Shanghai exploited with a 10-0 run, resulting in a final score of 108-104 and Jiangsu's loss.
The CBA ruled that the behavior of both teams seriously violated the spirit of sportsmanship. In accordance with Article 33 of the "Disciplinary Rules and Punishment Regulations of the Chinese Basketball Association" and referring to Article 81 of the "Disciplinary Rules of the 2022-2023 Season CBA League," the following punishments were imposed:
1. Cancel the ranking and qualification for the participation of the Shanghai Sharks and the Jiangsu Dragons for the 2022-2023 season.
2. Each club received a fine of five million yuan (approximately 727,000 U.S. dollars).
3. Suspend the coaching registration qualification of Li Chunjiang, head coach of the Shanghai Sharks, for five years from the date of this punishment decision; suspend the coaching registration qualification of Li Nan, head coach of the Jiangsu Dragons, for three years from the date of this punishment decision.
4. Restrict Shi Linjie, general manager of the Jiangsu Dragons, from engaging in basketball-related activities for five years from the date of this punishment decision; restrict Jiang Yusheng, general manager of the Shanghai Sharks, from engaging in basketball-related activities for three years from the date of this punishment decision.
CBA president Yao Ming expressed "heartbreak" on Monday after the investigation, adding that "the two teams have glorious histories in the league, so we ensured to find solid evidence to make a final decision. We must learn from this incident and make a change."
Following Shanghai's disqualification, the CBA league's governing body ruled that the Shenzhen Aviators would advance to the final four in the CBA playoffs. ■
