CBA: Bayi Rockets, Chinese basketball’s most successful team, to leave league – reports
- Bayi Rockets, founded by PLA soldiers in 1957, dominated early days of Chinese Basketball Association
- Team became more famous for refusing to hire foreign players as their fortunes faded
One of China’s most successful basketball teams are set to pull out of the Chinese Basketball Association ahead of the new season, according to reports in domestic media.
The Nanchang-based Bayi Rockets will not play in the 2020-21 season, which is set to start later this month, with PP Sports among the outlets to publish the news.
Bayi, whose name refers to August 1 – the founding of the People’s Liberation Army in 1927 at the Nanchang uprising – was founded by members of the PLA in 1955.
Before joining the CBA league in its first season in 1995, the team had been national champions 34 times. They would come to dominate the CBA too in its early days, winning the first six championships.
They have won the CBA eight times but not since 2007. The team is now most notable for refusing to hire foreign players.