The Shanghai Sharks are not just a bad basketball team -- they haven't made the CBA playoffs since winning the league title in 2002 (Yao Ming's final season) -- they are cheaters, as well. Statisticians at Shanghai's final home game of the season credited Sharks guard Liu Wei with 16 assists, enough to assure Liu the regular season league assists crown. One problem: Liu only has seven assists in that game. more ›

China may have found the oft-discussed "next Yao Ming." Of course he is only 13 years old, so we'll have to wait a while to find out. But according to the Wenhui Daily, Tian Yuchen is already 205 cm tall -- that's almost 6-foot-9. When Yao Ming was 13, he was "only" 197 cm. Tian is from Changchun in Jilin province and he's already a member of the Shanghai Sharks youth team, the same place Yao got his start. The paper said Tian is considered the "secret weapon" for the Sharks' much-needed CBA turnaround (they are currently 3-5 and dead last in the CBA South Division standings). Tian is actually being trained to play as a guard and he's already signed an endorsement deal with athletic apparel brand Li Ning. more ›

Watch out! The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) is moving toward "real professionaliztion." Their grand scheme, called the "Polarstar Project," launches this Sunday with the start of the 2005-2006 season, the league's tenth year of existence. more ›