Chinese Basketball Association teams booted from playoffs after match-fixing probe

The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Monday suspended two teams from the playoffs after the clubs were found to be “intentionally indulging in throwing games.”

The CBA was focused on the series between the Shanghai Sharks and Jiangsu Dragons. 

The CBA Disciplinary and Ethics Commission determined that the Sharks showed “negative contention” in the second game of the three-game series, which the Dragons won, according to China Sports Insider Mark Dreyer. The Dragons were found to have had a “lack of competitive effort” in the third game, which the Sharks won to move onto the next round of the playoffs.

Dreyer wrote on Twitter the findings amount to match-fixing.

Each CBA franchise was fined about $727,000 while the general managers and the coaches of the teams were hit with harsher penalties.

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Shanghai head coach Li Chunjiang was banned from registering as a basketball coach for five years. Jiangsu head coach Li Nan was banned or three years. Sharks general manager Jiang Yusheng was suspended for three years from doing anything basketball related as Dragons general manager Shi Linjie was banned for five years.

“The Chinese Basketball Association has paid great attention to the CBA playoff game between Shanghai and Jiangsu, which has triggered huge doubts from media and fans,” the association said. 

“We have tasked the CBA League (Beijing) Sports Co., Ltd. with launching an investigation into the matter, and requested the two clubs to submit their reports on the match.”

Former NBA star Yao Ming is the head of the Chinese Basketball Association

Former NBA players Michael Beasley and Eric Bledsoe were among those playing on the teams.

“Some canceled our playoffs I done seen it all,” Bledsoe tweeted.