Beijing Olympians
Encyclopedia
Beijing Aoshen Olympians or Beijing Olympians or Beijing Aoshen are a professional basketball
team that formerly played in the Chinese Basketball Association
and now play in the West Coast Pro Basketball League
. They have also played in the American Basketball Association
. Some sources refer to them (slightly ungrammatically) as Beijing Olympician. They should not be confused with the Beijing Ducks
, which is a different team.
In the 2003–04 season, they finished 7th out of 12 teams in the CBA regular season, and were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Jiangsu Dragons
. They were disqualified from play for the 2004–05 season (see below), and although it was intended that they would return for the 2005–06 season, negotiations to rejoin the league broke down at the end of June 2005.
Beijing Aoshen Olympian joined the new American Basketball Association for the 2005–06 season and played in the Spencer Haywood
Division of the Red Conference. In their inaugural season in the ABA they played their home games in Maywood, California
rather than Beijing
. In 2006–07, the team moved to the Felix Events Center
at Azusa Pacific University
, former home of the SoCal Legends
, who switched their affiliation to the Continental Basketball Association
, and relocated to Thousand Oaks
. For the 2007–08 season, the team moved again, this time to Singapore
. In 2008–09, the team moved back to California
, this time to Don Bosco Technical Institute
in Rosemead
.
The Vanguard team had a long history. It was founded in the 1950s and had some success over the years. The team played in the first CBA season in 1995–96, but finished last out of 12 teams and left the CBA. Meanwhile, the original Beijing Aoshen team was formed in 1997 as Beijing Aosheng , and in 1998 won the "B" league championship to win promotion to the CBA. Soon after that they represented China in the Asian club championship, changing their name to Aoshen at the start of that competition, which they won (some media reports at the time incorrectly gave their name as "北京奥盛").
The newly promoted Beijing Aoshen then made their CBA debut in the 1998–99 season. A key player on the team was Ma Jian. In an unprecedented move, they hired a female coach, Li Xin , but she was fired after only five games and replaced by Mike McGee, a former member of the Los Angeles Lakers
, who became the first non-Chinese coach in the CBA. Aoshen finished fourth and lost in the semi-finals to the Bayi Rockets
.
The following season, they merged with Vanguard, but struggled and finished sixth. In 2000–01 they continued to struggle: Ma Jian was dropped from the team in mid-season and they finished seventh. So far, they have never equaled their first-year performancehttp://www.epochtimes.com/gb/1/1/8/n31437.htm.
) season would be promoted to the CBA to take the Olympians' place; that team turned out to be the Yunnan Bulls
.
While under suspension from the CBA, Aoshen played a seven-game tour in Taiwan
against each team of the SBL
, sweeping all seven games. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/18/content_417346.htm
As "Beijing Aoshen Olympian", they joined the new American Basketball Association
for the 2005–06 season.
for the 2009 season. Since the WCPBL is a spring basketball league, they will continue playing in the winter based ABA.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team that formerly played in the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
and now play in the West Coast Pro Basketball League
West Coast Pro Basketball League
The West Coast Professional Basketball League, often abbreviated to the WCBL, is an international professional men's spring basketball league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and China.-Current clubs:...
. They have also played in the American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association (2000–present)
The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
. Some sources refer to them (slightly ungrammatically) as Beijing Olympician. They should not be confused with the Beijing Ducks
Beijing Ducks
Beijing Jinyu Ducks or Beijing Ducks or Beijing Jinyu is a basketball team in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Beijing. They were formerly known as the Beijing Shougang Ducks or Beijing Shougang; the name change was likely due to a change of corporate sponsorship...
, which is a different team.
In the 2003–04 season, they finished 7th out of 12 teams in the CBA regular season, and were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Jiangsu Dragons
Jiangsu Dragons
Jiangsu Nangang Dragons or Jiangsu Dragons or Jiangsu Nangang or formerly known as Jiangsu Dahua are a basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu....
. They were disqualified from play for the 2004–05 season (see below), and although it was intended that they would return for the 2005–06 season, negotiations to rejoin the league broke down at the end of June 2005.
Beijing Aoshen Olympian joined the new American Basketball Association for the 2005–06 season and played in the Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood
Spencer Haywood is a retired American professional basketball player.- High school :In 1964, Haywood moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he attended Pershing High School...
Division of the Red Conference. In their inaugural season in the ABA they played their home games in Maywood, California
Maywood, California
Maywood is a small city in southeast Los Angeles County, California. At , Maywood is the third-smallest incorporated city in Los Angeles County....
rather than Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. In 2006–07, the team moved to the Felix Events Center
Felix Events Center
The Felix Events Center is a 3,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Azusa, California, USA. It hosts locals sporting events and concerts. It is home of the Azusa Pacific University Cougars basketball teams and was the former home of the SoCal Legends when they played in the American Basketball...
at Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...
, former home of the SoCal Legends
SoCal Legends
The Southern California Legends, known commonly as the SoCal Legends, were a team in the Continental Basketball Association.The Legends are owned and coached by former NBA player Gary Grant. They played their home games at Azusa Pacific University's Felix Events Center...
, who switched their affiliation to the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
, and relocated to Thousand Oaks
Thousand Oaks, California
Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, in the United States. It was named after the many oak trees that grace the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak....
. For the 2007–08 season, the team moved again, this time to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. In 2008–09, the team moved back to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, this time to Don Bosco Technical Institute
Don Bosco Technical Institute
Don Bosco Technical Institute is an all-male high school in Rosemead, California, combining college-preparatory academic courses and technological education...
in Rosemead
Rosemead, California
Rosemead is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 53,764. Rosemead is part of a cluster of cities, along with Arcadia, Temple City, Monterey Park, San Marino, and San Gabriel, in the west San Gabriel Valley with a growing Asian...
.
History
For two seasons (1999–2000 and 2000–01) they were known as Vanguard Aoshen ; this team represented a merger between Vanguard and the then-existing Beijing Aoshen team. Occasionally the name Qianwei Aoshen was used instead (here, the word qianwei for "vanguard" is transliterated rather than translated). After that, however, the team used the Beijing Aoshen name once again.The Vanguard team had a long history. It was founded in the 1950s and had some success over the years. The team played in the first CBA season in 1995–96, but finished last out of 12 teams and left the CBA. Meanwhile, the original Beijing Aoshen team was formed in 1997 as Beijing Aosheng , and in 1998 won the "B" league championship to win promotion to the CBA. Soon after that they represented China in the Asian club championship, changing their name to Aoshen at the start of that competition, which they won (some media reports at the time incorrectly gave their name as "北京奥盛").
The newly promoted Beijing Aoshen then made their CBA debut in the 1998–99 season. A key player on the team was Ma Jian. In an unprecedented move, they hired a female coach, Li Xin , but she was fired after only five games and replaced by Mike McGee, a former member of the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, who became the first non-Chinese coach in the CBA. Aoshen finished fourth and lost in the semi-finals to the Bayi Rockets
Bayi Rockets
Bayi Shuanglu Rockets or Bayi Rockets or Bayi Army Rockets or Bayi Shuanglu are a basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Ningbo, Zhejiang...
.
The following season, they merged with Vanguard, but struggled and finished sixth. In 2000–01 they continued to struggle: Ma Jian was dropped from the team in mid-season and they finished seventh. So far, they have never equaled their first-year performancehttp://www.epochtimes.com/gb/1/1/8/n31437.htm.
2004–2005 suspension
On May 17, 2004, the Beijing Olympians were suspended from the CBA for a year for refusing to release Sun Yue to the national under-20 team. On May 25, 2004 the CBA announced that the winner of the 2004 Chinese Basketball League (CBLCBL
- CBC Radio :* CBL-FM, a CBC Radio Two radio station in Toronto, Ontario* CBC Radio One in Toronto had the call sign CBL for much of the period when it was on the AM band - Sports leagues and associations :* Canadian Baseball League...
) season would be promoted to the CBA to take the Olympians' place; that team turned out to be the Yunnan Bulls
Yunnan Bulls
Yunnan Honghe Bulls or Yunnan Honghe or Yunnan Bulls were a basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Mengzi, Yunnan ....
.
While under suspension from the CBA, Aoshen played a seven-game tour in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
against each team of the SBL
Super Basketball League
The Super Basketball League , often abbreviated to the SBL, is the pre-eminent men's semi-professional basketball league in Taiwan. It was founded in 2003 and considered by many as the successor organization to the short-lived Chinese Basketball Alliance , a men's professional basketball league...
, sweeping all seven games. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2005-02/18/content_417346.htm
2005–2006
It was intended that the Olympians would return to the CBA for the 2005–06 season, as the CBA expanded from 14 teams to 16, but negotiations broke down and the league only expanded to 15 teams. http://www.china.org.cn/english/sports/134632.htmAs "Beijing Aoshen Olympian", they joined the new American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association (2000–present)
The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
for the 2005–06 season.
WCPBL
After the 2008–09 ABA season, it was announced that the Olympians would play in the West Coast Pro Basketball LeagueWest Coast Pro Basketball League
The West Coast Professional Basketball League, often abbreviated to the WCBL, is an international professional men's spring basketball league featuring teams from the West Coast of the United States and China.-Current clubs:...
for the 2009 season. Since the WCPBL is a spring basketball league, they will continue playing in the winter based ABA.
Notable players
- Huang Haibei – 2006 ABAAmerican Basketball Association (2000–present)The American Basketball Association, often abbreviated as ABA, is a semi-professional men's basketball league that was founded in 1999. The current ABA has no affiliation with the original American Basketball Association that merged with the National Basketball Association in 1976...
All-Star - Ma JianMa Jian (basketball)Ma Jian is a retired basketball player from the People's Republic of China. He is known for playing college basketball for the University of Utah from 1993–1995, and becoming one of the first Chinese nationals to play competitive basketball in the United States. He was on the preseason roster of...
– first Chinese to play college basketball in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Paul ShirleyPaul ShirleyPaul Murphy Shirley is an American professional basketball player, most recently a member of Unicaja Málaga in the Spanish ACB. He is also a writer, with his primary focus on his basketball experiences....
– Former Iowa StateIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
player, and columnist for ESPN.com - Sun Yue – 2008-09 NBA champion with the Los Angeles LakersLos Angeles LakersThe Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
External links
- Official website (in ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
)