Liaoning Flying Leopards

The Liaoning Flying Leopards (simplified Chinese: 辽宁飞豹; traditional Chinese: 遼寧飛豹; pinyin: Liáoníng Fēibào), also known as the Liaoning Shenyang Sansheng Flying Leopard Club or Liaoning Bengang (辽宁本钢), are a Chinese professional basketball team based in Hunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning, which plays in the Northern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The team used to play their home games at the Benxi Gymnasium in Benxi, but relocated to Shenyang in the 2017–18 season. The Liaoning 3SBio Inc. is the club's corporate sponsor while its mascot is a flying leopard. The team plays at the Liaoning Gymnasium.

Liaoning Flying Leopards
Liaoning Flying Leopards logo
LeagueCBA
Founded1995 (1995)
HistoryLiaoning Hunters
(1995–2008)
Liaoning Dinosaurs
(2008–2011)
Liaoning Flying Leopards
(2011–present)
ArenaLiaoning Gymnasium
Capacity12,000
LocationHunnan District, Shenyang, Liaoning, China
Team colorsWhite, Black, Golden Yellow
     
Head coachHugo López
Championships3 (2018, 2022, 2023)

History

During the 2004–05 CBA season, Liaoning finished in first place in the North Division, but lost in the Quarter-Finals of the CBA Playoffs to the South Division's Yunnan Bulls. The team would then go on to place seventh and fourth, respectively, over the next two years, before advancing to the CBA Finals following the 2007–08 CBA season. Although Liaoning eventually lost to the Guangdong Southern Tigers, the club did win the fourth game of the series. This was the team's first victory in the CBA Finals, despite multiple appearances. After finishing in fifth place in the 2009–10 CBA season, Liaoning would miss both the 2010–11 and the 2011–12 CBA playoffs.

In 2011, Liaoning Scale Industry took over sponsorship from the Liaoning Panpan Group Co., Ltd.

Before the 2012–13 CBA season began, the roster received a massive upheaval. Liaoning made multiple changes including the signings of Josh Akognon and Alexander Johnson. Meanwhile, veteran Bian Qiang retired, and many local players were either transferred or loaned out to other CBA teams. One of the most significant player transactions that occurred was the decision to let go of Zhang Qingpeng.[1] It would later be revealed that this move was made in the interest of developing sharpshooter Guo Ailun.[2] On December 2, 2012, the Flying Leopards beat the Tianjin Gold Lions 100–81. This was Liaoning's sixth straight home victory against Tianjin.[3]

In 2013, the team started to receive sponsorship from Benxi Steel Group.[4]

The Flying Leopards have since become regular contenders for the CBA title again, powered by such players as Guo, Han Dejun, and multi-time CBA International MVP Lester Hudson. Liaoning lost to the Beijing Ducks in six games in the 2015 CBA Finals, and to Sichuan Blue Whales in five games in the 2016 CBA Finals. After Game 3 of the 2016 Finals, a brawl broke between players from the visiting Liaoning Flying Leopards and fans of the Sichuan Blue Whales.

In the 2017–18 CBA season, Liaoning defeated Zhejiang Lions in the finals (4–0) and won their first CBA league title.[5] The team relocated their home stadium from Benxi to Shenyang during the play-offs semi-finals.[6]

In 2019, 3SBio Inc. officially took the sponsorship, and changed the team name.[7] In the 2020–21 season, former national team player Yang Ming became the new head coach.[8]

In the 2021–22 season, the Flying Leopards won their second CBA title after sweeping Zhejiang Lions 4–0 in the final, the same as in 2018.[9] They defended the title the following season by another 4–0 sweep against Zhejiang Golden Bulls, clinching their third championship.[10]

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Liaoning Flying Leopards roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.
PF/C 1 China Fu Hao 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 112 kg (247 lb)
G 3 China Zhao Jiwei 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 79 kg (174 lb)
G/F 5 China Zhou Juncheng 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 90 kg (198 lb)
G/F 10 China Cong Mingchen 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 98 kg (216 lb)
G 11 China Zhang Junhao 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) 80 kg (176 lb)
G 13 China Guo Ailun 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 84 kg (185 lb)
PF/C 17 China Liu Yanyu 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) 95 kg (209 lb)
PF/C 22 China Li Xiaoxu 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in) 105 kg (231 lb)
F 27 China Yu Zechen 2.00 m (6 ft 7 in) 98 kg (216 lb)
PF/C 28 China Lu Zijie 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) 104 kg (229 lb)
G 36 China Yan Shouqi 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) 88 kg (194 lb)
G/F 37 China Li Huyi 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 81 kg (179 lb)
C 55 China Han Dejun (C) 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) 123 kg (271 lb)
F 77 China Zhang Zhenlin 2.08 m (6 ft 10 in) 102 kg (225 lb)
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured
Updated: 9 October 2023

Honours
Winners (3): 2017–18, 2021–22, 2022–23
Runners-up (8): 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2007–08, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2019–20, 2020–21

Notable players

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

Criteria

To appear in this section a player must have either:

  • Set a club record or won an individual award while at the club
  • Played at least one official international match for their national team at any time
  • Played at least one official NBA match at any time.

References
  1. Liaoning new season Parade: Lineup big shake double foreign aid decided the fate of the team
  2. Liaoning team explained Zhang Qingpeng leave reasons: desire to cultivate Guo Allan
  3. Liaoning scale industry VS Tianjin Steel Wing battlefield 100-81 Archived 2012-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "辽宁男篮冠名"本溪药都"". ifeng.com. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  5. "Liaoning Flying Leopards Win 2018 CBA Title". Court Side Newspaper. April 23, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  6. "辽篮迁至沈阳符合CBA潮流 冲冠保障全面升级". qq.com. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  7. "官宣！辽篮更名为辽宁沈阳三生飞豹篮球俱乐部". qq.com. 15 October 2019. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  8. CBA Roundup: Red-hot Golden Bulls book semifinal clash with Liaoning Huaxia (Xinhua News Agency), 19 April 2021. Accessed 8 November 2021.
  9. "Liaoning sweep Zhejiang for CBA title". china.org.cn. 27 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  10. "辽宁三夺总冠军追平北京 仅次于八一和广东". sina.com.cn (in Chinese). 15 May 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  11. "吴庆龙 肯尼斯·格兰特出任辽篮新赛季助理教练". 163.com (in Chinese). 30 September 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  12. "辽篮外援弗格完成注册 今日对阵宁波有望登场参赛". qq.com. 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
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