# 2019–20 Chinese Basketball Association season

The 2019–20 CBA season was the 25th season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The regular season began on 1 November 2019 with the Guangdong Southern Tigers hosting the Liaoning Flying Leopards.
The CBA regular season was suspended since 1 February 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The season was resumed on 20 June 2020. The regular season was concluded on 27 July 2020. The playoffs started on 31 July 2020 and concluded on 15 August 2020.

## Team changes
### Name changes

The CBA changed the name of the following five teams as a part of an ongoing plan.
* Beikong Fly Dragons changed their name to Beijing Royal Fighters in May 2019.
* Guangzhou Long-Lions changed their name to Guangzhou Loong Lions in May 2019.
* Shandong Golden Stars changed their name to Shandong Heroes in May 2019.
* Shenzhen Leopards changed their name to Shenzhen Aviators in May 2019.
* Tianjin Gold Lions changed their name to Tianjin Pioneers in May 2019.

## Venues

Listed below are the home arenas for the 2019–20 CBA season.
Note: Venues in italics denote the ones will be used from 20 June 2020 to the end of the season.
| Team | Home city | Arena | Capacity |
| Bayi Rockets | Nanchang | Nanchang International Sports Center Gymnasium | 11,000 |
| Beijing Ducks | Beijing | Cadillac Arena | 18,000 |
| Beikong Royal Fighters | Beijing | Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium | 6,300 |
| Fujian Sturgeons | Jinjiang | Zuchang Gymnasium | 6,000 |
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | Dongguan | Nissan Sports Centre | 14,730 |
| Guangzhou Loong-Lions | Guangzhou | Tianhe Gymnasium | 8,628 |
| Jiangsu Dragons | Suzhou | Suzhou Sports Center Gymnasium | 6000 |
| Jilin Northeast Tigers | Changchun | Changchun Gymnasium | 4,150 |
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | Shenyang | Liaoning Gymnasium | 12,000 |
| Nanjing Monkey Kings | Nanjing | Nanjing Youth Olympic Sports Park | 22,000 |
| Qingdao Eagles | Qingdao | Guoxin Gymnasium | 12,500 |
| Shandong Heroes | Jinan | Shandong Arena | 8,800 |
| Shanghai Sharks | Shanghai | Pudong Yuanshen Gymnasium | 5,000 |
| Shanxi Loongs | Taiyuan | Shanxi Sports Centre Gymnasium | 8,000 |
| Shenzhen Aviators | Shenzhen | Shenzhen Dayun Arena | 18,000 |
| Sichuan Blue Whales | Chengdu | Sichuan Provincial Gymnasium | 9,200 |
| Tianjin Pioneers | Tianjin | Dongli Gymnasium | 3,000 |
| Xinjiang Flying Tigers | Ürümqi | Hongshan Arena | 3,800 |
| Zhejiang Golden Bulls | Hangzhou | Binjiang Gymnasium | 6,000 |
| Zhejiang Guangsha Lions | Zhuji | Zhuji Sports Centre Gymnasium | 5,136 |

## Head coaches

Listed below are the head coaches for the 2019–20 CBA season.
| Team | Head Coach | Replaced During Season |
| Bayi Rockets | Wang Zhizhi | |
| Beijing Ducks | Yannis Christopoulos | |
| Beikong Royal Fighters | Stephon Marbury | |
| Fujian Sturgeons | Aleksandar Kesar | Zhu Shilong |
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | Du Feng | |
| Guangzhou Loong-Lions | Juan Antonio Orenga | |
| Jiangsu Dragons | Memi Becirovic | |
| Jilin Northeast Tigers | Wang Han | |
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | Guo Shiqiang | Alejandro Martínez |
| Nanjing Monkey Kings | Cui Wanjun | |
| Qingdao Eagles | Wu Qinglong | |
| Shandong Heroes | Gong Xiaobin | |
| Shanghai Sharks | Li Qiuping | |
| Shanxi Loongs | Wang Fei | |
| Shenzhen Aviators | Wang Jianjun | |
| Sichuan Blue Whales | Zhou Jinli | Ying Kui |
| Tianjin Pioneers | Liu Tie | Manolo Hussein |
| Xinjiang Flying Tigers | Adiljan Suleyman | |
| Zhejiang Golden Bulls | Liu Weiwei | |
| Zhejiang Guangsha Lions | Li Chunjiang | |

## Draft

The 2019 CBA Draft, the fifth edition of the CBA draft, took place on 29 July 2019 in Shanghai. 16 players were selected in the draft.
| Rnd. | Pick | Player | Nationality | Team | School / club team |
| 1 | 1 | Wang Shaojie | China | Beijing Royal Fighters | Peking University |
| 1 | 2 | Sun Siyao | China | Nanjing Monkey Kings | California State University, Northridge (US NCAA) |
| 1 | 3 | Yuan Tangwen | China | Sichuan Blue Whales | Xiamen University |
| 1 | 4 | Guan Jian | China | Tianjin Pioneers | Shanghai Sharks Youth |
| 1 | 5 | Lin Wei-han | Chinese Taipei | Qingdao Eagles | Yulon Luxgen Dinos (SBL) |
| 1 | 8 | Wu Yong-sheng | Chinese Taipei | Shanghai Sharks | Formosa Dreamers (SBL) |
| 1 | 9 | Liu Yuchen | China | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | Peking University |
| 1 | 11 | Wang Wenyu | China | Shandong Heroes | Shandong Heroes Youth |
| 1 | 13 | Tang Jie | China | Fujian Sturgeons | Wuhan Dangdai (NBL) |
| 1 | 18 | Liu Lipeng | China | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | Xinjiang Flying Tigers Youth |
| 2 | 1 | Meng Bolong | China | Beijing Royal Fighters | Beijing University of Technology |
| 2 | 2 | Li Shengdong | China | Nanjing Monkey Kings | Anhui Jiangzhun (NBL) |
| 2 | 4 | He Siyu | China | Tianjin Pioneers | Shanxi University |
| 2 | 5 | Wang Ruize | China | Qingdao Eagles | Nanchang University |
| 2 | 11 | Ma Guanghan | China | Shandong Heroes | Anhui Wenyi (NBL) |
| 2 | 18 | Yang Sheng-yan | Chinese Taipei | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | Free Agent |

## Foreign players policy

All teams except the Bayi Rockets (a club owned by the People's Liberation Army) can have two foreign players. The bottom two teams from the previous season (except Bayi) have the additional right to sign an extra Asian player.

### Rules chart

The rules for using foreign players in each game are described in this chart:
| # | Facing other teams | Facing Bayi Rockets |
| Chinese players+ | No Limit | No Limit |
| Asian players++ | No Limit | 4 quarters collectively+++ |
| International players | 6 quarters collectively+++ | 4 quarters collectively+++ |
+ Including players from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
++ If a team waives its right to sign an extra Asian player, it may use its 2 foreign players for 7 quarters collectively.
+++ Only 1 allowed in the 4th quarter.

### Import chart

This is the full list of international players competing in the CBA during the 2019–20 season. One major change is that many teams began to actively sign "reserve" imports this season to provide insurance for injuries. Players who sign contracts but are not actually playing will be listed under the heading of "Inactive Or Replaced" during the 2019–20 season. Those who never actually play in games before the end of the season will have their names removed from this list when the season ends.
| Team | Player 1 | Player 2 | Asian Player | Inactive Or Replaced |
| Bayi Rockets | – | – | - | – |
| Beijing Ducks | Jeremy Lin | Ekpe Udoh | N/A | Justin Hamilton |
| Beikong Royal Fighters | Kyle Fogg | Jason Thompson | Sani Sakakini | - |
| Fujian Sturgeons | Pooh Jeter | Dante Cunningham | N/A | Ty Lawson Erick Green |
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | MarShon Brooks | Sonny Weems | N/A | - |
| Guangzhou Loong-Lions | Andrew Nicholson | - | N/A | Marcus Georges-Hunt Keifer Sykes |
| Jiangsu Dragons | Jonathan Gibson | Miroslav Raduljica | N/A | Antonio Blakeney |
| Jilin Northeast Tigers | Dominique Jones | Eli Holman | N/A | - |
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | Lance Stephenson | Brandon Bass | N/A | - |
| Nanjing Monkey Kings | Joe Young | Guerschon Yabusele | Hamed Haddadi | Behnam Yakhchali |
| Qingdao Eagles | Darius Adams | Dakari Johnson | N/A | Kenny Boynton (DNP YET) |
| Shandong Heroes | Lester Hudson | James Mays | N/A | - |
| Shanghai Sharks | Ray McCallum Jr. | Donatas Motiejunas | N/A | James Nunnally |
| Shanxi Loongs | Jamaal Franklin | Eric Moreland | N/A | Malcolm Thomas |
| Shenzhen Aviators | Dwight Buycks | Jarell Martin | N/A | Shabazz Muhammad Pierre Jackson |
| Sichuan Blue Whales | Courtney Fortson | Tyler Hansbrough | N/A | Thomas Robinson |
| Tianjin Pioneers | Chasson Randle | Marko Todorovic | N/A | - |
| Xinjiang Flying Tigers | Kay Felder | Eric Mika | N/A | Jarnell Stokes Ian Clark (DNP YET) |
| Zhejiang Golden Bulls | Marcus Denmon | Sylven Landesberg | N/A | - |
| Zhejiang Guangsha Lions | Dez Wells | Miles Plumlee | N/A | Kenneth Faried |

## Regular Season Standings

| # | 2019–20 CBA regular season | 2019–20 CBA regular season | 2019–20 CBA regular season | 2019–20 CBA regular season | 2019–20 CBA regular season |
| # | Team | W | L | Pct. | Tiebreaker |
| 1 | Guangdong Southern Tigers | 44 | 2 | .957 | |
| 2 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | 36 | 10 | .783 | |
| 3 | Liaoning Flying Leopards | 32 | 14 | .696 | |
| 4 | Beijing Ducks | 32 | 14 | .696 | |
| 5 | Zhejiang Lions | 30 | 16 | .652 | |
| 6 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | 30 | 16 | .652 | |
| 7 | Beijing Royal Fighters | 29 | 17 | .630 | |
| 8 | Qingdao Eagles | 25 | 21 | .543 | |
| 9 | Shandong Heroes | 24 | 22 | .522 | |
| 10 | Jilin Northeast Tigers | 24 | 22 | .522 | |
| 11 | Shanxi Loongs | 24 | 22 | .522 | |
| 12 | Fujian Sturgeons | 24 | 22 | .522 | |
| 13 | Shenzhen Aviators | 20 | 26 | .435 | |
| 14 | Nanjing Monkey Kings | 18 | 28 | .391 | |
| 15 | Jiangsu Dragons | 17 | 29 | .370 | |
| 16 | Shanghai Sharks | 16 | 30 | .348 | |
| 17 | Sichuan Blue Whales | 11 | 35 | .239 | |
| 18 | Guangzhou Loong Lions | 10 | 36 | .217 | |
| 19 | Tianjin Pioneers | 8 | 38 | .174 | |
| 20 | Bayi Rockets | 6 | 40 | .130 | |
Key to colors :
* Top 4 teams advance directly to Quarter-finals of CBA Playoffs
* 5th-12th place teams progress to First Round of CBA Playoffs

## Playoffs

Because of the format change due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Playoffs in this season will be shortened - the first two rounds will be played as one-off matches, and the last two rounds will be played in best-of-three games.
| First round One-off | First round One-off | First round One-off | Quarter-finals One-off | Quarter-finals One-off | Quarter-finals One-off | Semi-finals Best-of-three | Semi-finals Best-of-three | Semi-finals Best-of-three | Finals Best-of-three | Finals Best-of-three | Finals Best-of-three |
| | | | 1 | Guangdong Southern Tigers | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | 8 | Qingdao Eagles | 0 | | | | | | |
| 8 | Qingdao Eagles | 1 | 8 | Qingdao Eagles | 0 | | | | | | |
| 9 | Shandong Heroes | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| 9 | Shandong Heroes | 0 | | | | 1 | Guangdong Southern Tigers | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | 4 | Beijing Ducks | 1 | | | |
| | | | 4 | Beijing Ducks | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | 12 | Fujian Sturgeons | 0 | | | | | | |
| 5 | Zhejiang Lions | 0 | 12 | Fujian Sturgeons | 0 | | | | | | |
| 12 | Fujian Sturgeons | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| 12 | Fujian Sturgeons | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | Guangdong Southern Tigers | 2 |
| | | | | | | | | | 3 | Liaoning Flying Leopards | 1 |
| | | | 3 | Liaoning Flying Leopards | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | 6 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | 0 | | | | | | |
| 6 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | 1 | 6 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | 0 | | | | | | |
| 11 | Shanxi Loongs | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
| 11 | Shanxi Loongs | 0 | | | | 3 | Liaoning Flying Leopards | 2 | | | |
| | | | | | | 2 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | 0 | | | |
| | | | 2 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers | 1 | | | | | | |
| | | | 7 | Beijing Royal Fighters | 0 | | | | | | |
| 7 | Beijing Royal Fighters | 1 | 7 | Beijing Royal Fighters | 0 | | | | | | |
| 10 | Jilin Northeast Tigers | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
* Bold Series winner

### First round
#### (5) Zhejiang Lions vs. (12) Fujian Sturgeons

* 31 July 2020 15:00
* Boxscore
| Zhejiang Lions | 119–132 | Fujian Sturgeons |
| Scoring by quarter: 34–34, 27–34, 31–31, 27–33 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Liang Bin, Yang Xiaoguang, Li Chengxin

#### (6) Zhejiang Golden Bulls vs. (11) Shanxi Loongs

* 1 August 2020 15:00
* Boxscore
| Zhejiang Golden Bulls | 91–82 | Shanxi Loongs |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–18, 28–23, 27–25, 14–16 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Xia Chun, Yang Hongfeng, Zhang Lei

#### (7) Beijing Royal Fighters vs. (10) Jilin Northeast Tigers

* 1 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Beijing Royal Fighters | 108–106 | Jilin Northeast Tigers |
| Scoring by quarter: 27–29, 24–29, 26–17, 31–31 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Cui Zhexiong, Ye Nan, Wei Guoliang

#### (8) Qingdao Eagles vs. (9) Shandong Heroes

* 31 July 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Qingdao Eagles | 129–120 | Shandong Heroes |
| Scoring by quarter: 28–30, 33–20, 30–36, 38–34 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Song Xiaojing, Yan Jun, Han Xu

### Quarter-finals
#### (1) Guangdong Southern Tigers vs. (8) Qingdao Eagles

* 2 August 2020 15:00
* Boxscore
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | 110–88 | Qingdao Eagles |
| Scoring by quarter: 28–14, 22–19, 28–24, 32–31 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Yan Jun, Xin Genwei, Guo Nan

#### (2) Xinjiang Flying Tigers vs. (7) Beijing Royal Fighters

* 3 August 2020 15:00
* Boxscore
| Xinjiang Flying Tigers | 103–91 | Beijing Royal Fighters |
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 22–21, 31–24, 25–22 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Xia Chun, Yan Jun, Hu Ji

#### (3) Liaoning Flying Leopards vs. (6) Zhejiang Golden Bulls

* 3 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | 127–123 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls |
| Scoring by quarter: 30–32, 34–34, 32–29, 31–28 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Liang Bin, Ye Nan, Yang Xiaoguang

#### (4) Beijing Ducks vs. (12) Fujian Sturgeons

* 2 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Beijing Ducks | 107–75 | Fujian Sturgeons |
| Scoring by quarter: 30–15, 32–13, 26–27, 19–20 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Xia Chun, Liang Bin, Ye Nan

### Semi-finals
#### (1) Guangdong Southern Tigers vs. (4) Beijing Ducks

* 4 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | 111–109 (OT) | Beijing Ducks |
| Scoring by quarter: 27–26, 21–33, 19–24, 37–21, Overtime: 7–5 |||
| Guangdong leads series, 1-0 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Liang Bin, Ye Nan, Jiang Zhiyuan
* 6 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Beijing Ducks | 90–86 | Guangdong Southern Tigers |
| Scoring by quarter: 14–18, 28–27, 23–23, 25–18 |||
| Series tied, 1-1 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Xia Chun, Song Xiaojing, Cui Zhexiong
* 8 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | 88–85 | Beijing Ducks |
| Scoring by quarter: 16–13, 21–24, 26–20, 25–28 |||
| Guangdong wins series, 2-1 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Xia Chun, Song Xiaojing, Li Chengxin

#### (2) Xinjiang Flying Tigers vs. (3) Liaoning Flying Leopards

* 5 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Xinjiang Flying Tigers | 88–116 | Liaoning Flying Leopards |
| Scoring by quarter: 24–34, 24–25, 20–36, 20–21 |||
| Liaoning leads series, 1–0 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Duan Zhu, Yan Jun, Ye Nan
* 7 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | 119–113 | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
| Scoring by quarter: 22–33, 40–22, 29–34, 28–24 |||
| Liaoning wins series, 2–0 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Yan Jun, Duan Zhu, Guo Nan

### Finals
#### (1) Guangdong Southern Tigers vs. (3) Liaoning Flying Leopards

* 11 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | 110–88 | Liaoning Flying Leopards |
| Scoring by quarter: 25–24, 30–26, 25–23, 30–15 |||
| Guangdong leads series, 1–0 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Yan Jun, Duan Zhu, Ye Nan
* 13 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | 115–113 | Guangdong Southern Tigers |
| Scoring by quarter: 34–38, 24–28, 23–27, 34–20 |||
| Series tied, 1–1 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Xia Chun, Liang Bin, Yang Hongfeng
* 15 August 2020 20:00
* Boxscore
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | 123–115 | Liaoning Flying Leopards |
| Scoring by quarter: 26–29, 28–18, 41–39, 28–29 |||
| Guangdong wins series, 2–1 |||
* Qingdao Guoxin Gymnasium, Qingdao Referees: Duan Zhu, Yan Jun, Ye Nan

## Statistics

Listed below are the 2019–20 CBA season's final individual and team statistical leaders. The CBA is like the NCAA, and unlike the NBA, in the practice of combining regular season statistics with playoff statistics.

### Statistical leaders – individual

More info needed

## Awards

Listed below are the 2019–20 CBA season's weekly, monthly, and annual awards.

### Yearly awards

This is a list of the 2019–20 CBA season's yearly awards winners.
| Award | Recipient(s) | Runner(s)-up/Finalists |
| Domestic Most Valuable Player | Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers) | Han Dejun (Liaoning Flying Leopards) Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Guangsha Lions) Wang Zhelin (Fujian Sturgeons) Zhou Qi (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Zhou Qi (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) | Jeremy Lin (Beijing Ducks) Sonny Weems (Guangdong Southern Tigers) Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers) Zhai Xiaochuan (Beijing Ducks) |
| Sixth Man of the Year | Fang Shuo (Beijing Ducks) | Dai Huaibo (Jilin Northeast Tigers) Lai Junhao (Zhejiang Golden Bulls) Yu Changdong (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) Zeng Lingxu (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) |
| Most Improved Player | Sun Minghui (Zhejiang Lions) | Hu Mingxuan (Guangdong Southern Tigers) Yuan Shuai (Shanxi Loongs) |
| Young Rising Star of the Year | Hu Mingxuan (Guangdong Southern Tigers) | Chen Ying-chun (Guangzhou Looog Lions) Cheng Shuaipeng (Zhejiang Golden Bulls) Wang Shaojie (Beijing Royal Fighters) |
| Coach of the Year | Du Feng (Guangdong Southern Tigers) | Adiljan Jun (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) Alejandro Martinez (Liaoning Flying Leopards) Xie Libin (Beijing Ducks) |

### Players of the Week

This is a list of the 2019–20 CBA season's Player of the Week award winners.

### Players of the Month

This is a list of the 2019–20 CBA season's Player of the Month award winners.

### Young Rising Stars of the Month

This is a list of the 2019–20 CBA season's Young Rising Star of the Month award winners.

## All-Star Weekend

The 25th CBA All-Star Game and associated events were held in January 2020. Saturday features the Rising Stars Challenge, in which a team of CBA Rookies & Sophomores face a squad of students from the Chinese University Basketball Association, as well as the preliminaries of the Slam Dunk Contest, Three-Point Shootout, and Skills Competition. Sunday features the All-Star Game, with the South hosting the North, and the finals of the three individual events taking place at halftime.