| Prevseason: | 2017–18 |
| Nextseason: | 2019–20 |
| CBA | |
| T Bg: |
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| T Color: |
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| Season: | 2018–19 |
| Champions: | Guangdong Southern Tigers |
| Runners Up: | Xinjiang Flying Tigers |
| Semifinalists: | Liaoning Flying Leopards Shenzhen Leopards |
| Teams: | 20 |
| Games: | 46 |
| Top Seed: | Guangdong Southern Tigers |
| Award4: | Domestic MVP |
| Award4 Link: | CBA Most Valuable Player |
| Award4 N: | CHN |
| Award5: | International MVP |
| Award5 Link: | CBA Most Valuable Player |
| Top Scorer: |  Pierre Jackson |
| Ppg: | 39.8 |
| Rpg: | 14.9 |
| Apg: | 10.9 |
The 2018–19 CBA season was the 24th season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). In this campaign, the regular season expands from 38 games to 46 games, while the playoffs expand from 10 teams to 12 teams.[1]
The Shanxi Brave Dragons changed their official English name to the Shanxi Loongs at a lavish unveiling ceremony in September. “Loongs” is the Cantonese term for Dragons and was chosen by team ownership, even though people living in Shanxi speak Mandarin Chinese.
The Bayi Rockets began playing their home games in Nanchang after spending many years in Ningbo, and the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions began playing their home games in Zhuji to cultivate a fanbase away from central Hangzhou and stop splintering local support with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
| Team | width=270 | Head Coach | width=270 | Replaced During Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayi Rockets |  Wang Zhizhi | |||
| Beijing Ducks | Yannis Christopoulos | |||
| Beikong Fly Dragons | Zhang Degui | Ding Wei | ||
| Fujian Sturgeons | Zhu Shilong | |||
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | Du Feng | |||
| Guangzhou Long-Lions |  Juan Antonio Orenga | |||
| Jiangsu Dragons | Memi Becirovic | |||
| Jilin Northeast Tigers | Wang Han | |||
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | Guo Shiqiang | |||
| Nanjing Monkey Kings | Gintaras Krapikas | |||
| Qingdao Eagles | Fan Bin | |||
| Shandong Golden Stars | Wu Qinglong | |||
| Shanghai Sharks | Li Qiuping | |||
| Shanxi Loongs | Wang Fei | |||
| Shenzhen Leopards | Wang Jianjun | |||
| Sichuan Blue Whales | Ying Kui[2] | Dirk Bauermann[3] [4] | ||
| Tianjin Gold Lions |  Anton "Toni" Vujanic | |||
| Xinjiang Flying Tigers | Adiljan Suleyman |  Brian Goorjian | ||
| Zhejiang Golden Bulls | Liu Weiwei | |||
| Zhejiang Guangsha Lions | Li Chunjiang |
The 2018 CBA Draft, the fourth edition of the CBA draft, took place on 29 July 2018. 14 players were selected in the draft.[5]
| Player | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jilin Northeast Tigers | Henan Roaring Elephants (NBL) | |||
| 1 | 2 | Sichuan Blue Whales | Hefei Yuanchuang (NBL) | |||
| 1 | 3 | Tianjin Gold Lions | Luoyang Zhonghe (NBL) | |||
| 1 | 4 | Qingdao Eagles | Taiyuan University of Technology | |||
| 1 | 5 | Nanjing Monkey Kings | Shenzhen Leopards Youth | |||
| 1 | 6 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | Zhejiang Guangsha Lions Youth | |||
| 1 | 7 | Guangzhou Long-Lions | Guangdong Southern Tigers Youth | |||
| 1 | 8 | Beijing Ducks | Hunan Baining (NBL) | |||
| 1 | 9 | Guangdong Southern Tigers | Shandong Golden Stars Youth | |||
| 2 | 1 | Shandong Agricultural University | ||||
| 2 | 2 | Bayi Rockets Youth | ||||
| 2 | 3 | Shanghai Sharks Youth | ||||
| 2 | 4 | Lhasa Pure Land (NBL) | ||||
| 2 | 5 | Peking University |
All teams except the Bayi Rockets 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.
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++ | 4 quarters collectively+++ | |
| International players | 6 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.
This is the full list of international players who competed in the CBA during the 2018-19 season.
| Team | Player 1 | Player 2 | Asian Player | Replaced During Season | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | – | ||
| N/A | |||||
| N/A | |||||
| N/A | Russ Smith Xavier Munford | ||||
| N/A | Malcolm Delaney Sonny Weems | ||||
| N/A | Marreese Speights Cory Jefferson | ||||
| N/A | Jerome Dyson | ||||
| N/A | |||||
| N/A | |||||
| Nanjing Monkey Kings | N/A | Adreian Payne | |||
| Dakari Johnson | N/A | ||||
| N/A | Andrew Goudelock JaKarr Sampson | ||||
| N/A | |||||
| N/A | Chris McCullough Josh Adams | ||||
| N/A | Quincy Acy Jared Sullinger | ||||
| – | Jamaal Franklin | ||||
| N/A | Cole Aldrich | ||||
| N/A | Darius Adams Al Jefferson Nick Minnerath Hamed Haddadi | ||||
| N/A | Archie Goodwin Tyler Hansbrough | ||||
| N/A |
| 2018–19 CBA regular season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ||||||
| 1 | 42 | 4 | .913 | 86 | ||
| 2 | 38 | 8 | .826 | 84 | ||
| 3 | 33 | 13 | .717 | 79 | Xinjiang 2–0 Shenzhen | |
| 4 | 33 | 13 | .717 | 79 | ||
| 5 | 31 | 15 | .674 | 77 | Beijing 2–2 Guangsha Beijing 396–394 Guangsha | |
| 6 | 31 | 15 | .674 | 77 | ||
| 7 | 27 | 19 | .587 | 73 | ||
| 8 | 26 | 20 | .565 | 72 | ||
| 9 | 24 | 22 | .522 | 70 | Jiangsu 1–1 Jilin Jiangsu 211–198 Jilin | |
| 10 | 24 | 22 | .522 | 70 | ||
| 11 | 23 | 23 | .500 | 69 | Zhejiang 2–2 Shanghai 2–2 Guangzhou 2–2 | |
| 12 | 23 | 23 | .500 | 69 | ||
| 13 | 23 | 23 | .500 | 69 | ||
| 14 | 16 | 30 | .348 | 62 | ||
| 15 | 13 | 33 | .283 | 59 | ||
| 16 | 12 | 34 | .261 | 58 | ||
| 17 | 11 | 35 | .239 | 57 | Sichuan 2–2 Bayi 2–2 Nanjing 2–2 | |
| 18 | 11 | 35 | .239 | 57 | ||
| 19 | Nanjing Monkey Kings | 11 | 35 | .239 | 57 | |
| 20 | 8 | 38 | .174 | 54 | ||
| Top 4 teams advance directly to Quarterfinals of CBA Playoffs | ||
| 5th-12th place teams progress to First Round of CBA Playoffs |
See main article: 2019 CBA Playoffs.
The CBA is like the NCAA, and unlike the NBA, as the CBA combines regular season statistics with playoff statistics, so these lists are not yet final.
| Category | Player | Team | Average[7] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 39.8[8] | |||
| Rebounds per game | 14.9 | |||
| Assists per game | 10.9 | |||
| Steals per game | 2.8 | |||
| Blocks per game | 2.7 | |||
| 2FG% (20 games + 4 shots made per game) | 68.3% | |||
| 3FG% (20 games + 1 shot made per game) | 46.3% | |||
| FT% (20 games + 2 shots made per game) | Nanjing Monkey Kings | 91.8% | ||
| Turnovers per game | 4.3 | |||
| Fouls per game | 4.3 |
| Category | Team | Average[9] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 118.7 | ||
| Rebounds per game | 49.0 | ||
| Assists per game | 24.3 | ||
| Steals per game | 12.0 | ||
| Blocks per game | 4.2 | ||
| 2FG% | 58.3% | ||
| 3FG% | 39.8% | ||
| FT% | 81.3% | ||
| Turnovers per game (lowest + highest averages) | Fewest (Best): 11.1 Most (Worst): 14.2 | ||
| Fouls per game (lowest + highest averages) | Fewest (Best): 20.3 Most (Worst): 26.9 |
This is a list of the 2018–19 CBA season's yearly awards winners.[10]
| Award | Recipient(s) | Runner(s)-up/Finalists | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wang Zhelin (Fujian Sturgeons) | Abdusalam Abdurixit (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) Guo Ailun (Liaoning Flying Leopards) Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Guangsha Lions) Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers) | [11] | ||
| Darius Adams (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) | Jimmer Fredette (Shanghai Sharks) Aaron Jackson (Beijing Ducks) Dominique Jones (Jilin Northeast Tigers) Maciej Lampe (Jilin Northeast Tigers) | [12] | ||
| Defensive Player of the Year | Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers) | Darius Adams (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) Brandon Bass (Liaoning Flying Leopards) Justin Hamilton (Beijing Ducks) Sonny Weems (Guangdong Southern Tigers) | [13] | |
| Most Improved Player | Abdusalam Abdurixit (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) | Shen Zijie (Shenzhen Leopards) Shi Deshuai (Tianjin Gold Lions) | [14] | |
| Young Rising Star of the Year | Jiang Yuxing (Jilin Northeast Tigers) | Chen Ying-chun (Guangzhou Long-Lions) Cheng Shuaipeng (Zhejiang Golden Bulls) | [15] | |
| Coach of the Year | Du Feng (Guangdong Southern Tigers) | Adiljan Jun (Xinjiang Flying Tigers) Guo Shiqiang (Liaoning Flying Leopards) Wang Jianjun (Shenzhen Leopards) | [16] |
This is a list of the 2018–19 CBA season's Player of the Week award winners.[17]
This is a list of the 2018–19 CBA season's Player of the Month award winners.[18]
| width=16% | Month | width=40% | Domestic Player of the Month | width=40% | International Player of the Month | class=unsortable | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October/November | Hu Jinqiu (Zhejiang Guangsha Lions) (1/1) | Jimmer Fredette (Shanghai Sharks) (1/1) | |||||
| December | Wang Zhelin (Fujian Sturgeons) (1/1) | Pierre Jackson (Beikong Fly Dragons) (1/1) | |||||
| January | Yi Jianlian (Guangdong Southern Tigers) (1/1) | Dominique Jones (Jilin Northeast Tigers) (1/1) | |||||
| February/March | Guo Ailun (Liaoning Flying Leopards) (1/1) |  Donatas Motiejunas (Shandong Golden Stars) (1/1) |
This is a list of the 2018–19 CBA season's Young Rising Star of the Month award winners.[19]
| width=16% | Month | width=80% | Young Rising Star of the Month | class=unsortable | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October/November | Shen Zijie (Shenzhen Leopards) (1/1) | [20] | |||
| December | Jiang Yuxing (Jilin Northeast Tigers) (1/1) | [21] | |||
| January | Cheng Shuaipeng (Zhejiang Golden Bulls) (1/1) | [22] | |||
| February/March | |||||
The 24th CBA All-Star Game and associated events were held in Qingdao on January 12–13, 2019. Saturday featured the Rising Stars Challenge, in which a team of CBA Rookies & Sophomores faced 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 featured the All-Star Game, with the North hosting the South, and the finals of the three individual events taking place at halftime.
| Winners from 24th annual Chinese Basketball Association All-Star Game & Weekend[23] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 CBA All-Star Game | CBA South All-Stars defeated CBA North All-Stars 160–145 | |||
| 2018–19 CBA All-Star Game MVP | Nanjing Monkey Kings | Key Statistics: 40 points & 6 assists | ||
| Slam Dunk Contest | Final Result: 79 combined points from judges | |||
| Three-Point Shootout | Final Result: 21 points in last round & 11 in tiebreaker | |||
| Skills Competition | Final Result: 26.5 seconds (new record) | |||
| 2018–19 CBA Rising Stars Challenge | CUBA Students defeated CBA Rookies & Sophomores 90–88 | |||
| 2018–19 CBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP | Key Statistics: 13 points & 10 rebounds | |||
