https://www.scmp.com/rss/523482/feed The latest news and top stories on National Basketball League. A professional basketball minor league based in China, the National Basketball League (NBL) serves as the second-tier competition to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Established in 2004, it was formerly known as the Chinese Basketball League (CBL). The NBL’s primary mission is to foster professional basketball development across China, featuring ten teams competing in a summer championship. It is recognised as one of China’s... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Fran Lu Fran Lu Li Shaofen, one of China’s first female basketball players, has joined the country’s basketball hall of fame. Li, 89, is also known as the wife of Zhong Nanshan, the pulmonologist who became a household name as a leading adviser in managing the Covid-19 pandemic. She was born in southern China’s Guangdong province in 1936. She was a main player of China’s first national women’s basketball team in the 1950s. As a teenager, Li was selected into the national team in 1952. Li played both centre and... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3338157/china-basketball-hall-fame-honours-pioneer-who-wife-renowned-infectious-disease-expert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/china-personalities/article/3338157/china-basketball-hall-fame-honours-pioneer-who-wife-renowned-infectious-disease-expert?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Wynna Wong Wynna Wong Hongkonger Wilson Tsang Wai-shun began following basketball in secondary school, a time when the National Basketball Association (NBA) experienced one of its fastest expansions, acquiring both fortune and fame with fans. While much of that was down to the likes of global superstar Michael Jordan, in China, the sport had by then been popular for decades. But then NBA commissioner David Stern’s initial 1987-88 agreement to broadcast games on China Central Television, around the time Jordan was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3327889/nets-v-suns-macau-tracing-nbas-rise-fall-and-return-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3327889/nets-v-suns-macau-tracing-nbas-rise-fall-and-return-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Oct 2025 01:00:21 +0000 Mike Chan Mike Chan Fresh from retaining the National Basketball League crown in Changsha on Monday, Hong Kong Bulls players were told they needed to halve their usual off-season break to prepare for their title defence. The victors will soon be switching back on, after the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) announced earlier this month that they would align the seasons of the top-tier CBA league and the second-tier NBL. The NBL is usually referred to as the summer league, but its next season is scheduled to... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3326551/hong-kong-bulls-celebrate-winning-mainland-chinas-nbl-now-clock-ticking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3326551/hong-kong-bulls-celebrate-winning-mainland-chinas-nbl-now-clock-ticking?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Sep 2025 09:30:09 +0000 Mike Chan Mike Chan Hong Kong Bulls have moved closer to being able to join the Chinese Basketball Association’s top-tier competition next year after the mainland’s governing body stepped up efforts to integrate the country’s leagues. Rule changes confirmed on Tuesday have allowed the National Basketball League (NBL), the second tier, to switch its season from a summer start to begin in December, syncing with the top tier. Aligning the seasons would ease a change of division for the likes of the Bulls, who were... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3325090/chinas-top-basketball-comp-may-beckon-hong-kong-bulls-rarity-city?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3325090/chinas-top-basketball-comp-may-beckon-hong-kong-bulls-rarity-city?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 23:30:14 +0000 Mike Chan Mike Chan Reigning champions Hong Kong Bulls have been left without a venue for China’s National Basketball League play-offs this month, after the governing body ruled Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai was not up to standard. The Hong Kong outfit are one of eight teams in the Chinese second-tier league this season. They have confirmed receipt of a warning letter from the Chinese Basketball Association, stating there is insufficient space between the stands – the goalposts – and the walls. The NBL’s standards... https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3321857/hong-kong-bulls-race-against-time-find-venue-chinese-basketball-play-offs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/sport/basketball/article/3321857/hong-kong-bulls-race-against-time-find-venue-chinese-basketball-play-offs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2025 00:00:09 +0000