10 Biggest NBA Stars To Ever Play For The Shanghai Sharks

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10 Biggest NBA Stars To Ever Play For The Shanghai Sharks

Dallas Mavericks guard D'Angelo Russell (5) reacts after scoring during the second half against the Portland Trail Blazers at American Airlines Center. — Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Fran Leiva · Fadeaway World

Tue, Oct 6, 2026 ·

17 min read

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Without a doubt, the CBA continues to grow every year. It has gone from being a place where older stars like Tracy McGrady, Stephon Marbury, and other icons from the 2000s went to spend the final years of their professional careers to now attracting former NBA players who are still in much earlier stages of their careers.

The latest major name to make the move to China is D'Angelo Russell . The former 2019 NBA All-Star was traded from the Wizards to the Grizzlies during the summer, but Memphis decided to waive him before training camp. Just a few days later, Russell signed with the Shanghai Sharks , starting his first professional experience outside the NBA and becoming one of the biggest additions the CBA has seen in recent years.

Russell is only 30 years old and leaves the NBA after 11 seasons, 655 games, and career averages of 17.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. His best season came in 2018-19 with the Nets, when he averaged 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists and earned his only All-Star selection.

And with Russell now joining a long list of NBA players who have worn a Sharks jersey, this feels like the perfect time to look back at the biggest names to ever play for the franchise. Some arrived near the end of their careers, others completely dominated in China, and a few even became major figures for Shanghai.

So, with that context, here are the 10 biggest NBA stars to ever play for the Shanghai Sharks.

10. Dwayne Bacon

NBA Stats: 7.3 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 40.2% FG, 31.4% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 22.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.7 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 45.8% FG, 32.5% 3P

Not every NBA player who moves to China arrives with All-Star appearances or a huge list of awards, and this is where the ranking starts getting a little more interesting. Dwayne Bacon never became a major NBA name, but he did something many players never manage to do: he carved out a legitimate role for several years and even spent an entire season scoring in double figures.

His best opportunity came with the Magic in 2020-21. Bacon started 50 of 72 games that year and averaged 10.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.3 assists while playing 25.7 minutes per game. The efficiency wasn't great, especially from three, but he was still taking 10.9 shots per game and handling a much larger offensive role than he had with the Hornets.

By the time he left the NBA, Bacon had played 207 games and started 80 of them. That's not star-level production, but it was enough of an NBA curriculum to make his move to Shanghai interesting.

And once he got there, the volume exploded. Bacon averaged 22.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 41 regular-season games for the Sharks in 2023-24. He attacked constantly, got to the free-throw line more than six times per game, and immediately became one of the main scoring options on a team that finished 32-20.

He didn't slow down once the playoffs started either: Bacon averaged another 20.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.8 assists across eight postseason games, helping Shanghai reach the quarterfinals before the run ended.

There aren't championship banners or multiple CBA seasons to push him higher on this list. It was basically one year, one big scoring role, and then he moved on. Still, turning from an NBA rotation scorer into a 23-point-per-game option for one of the CBA's biggest teams is enough to get Bacon into the top 10.

9. Noah Vonleh

NBA Stats: 4.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 45.9% FG, 30.7% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 13.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 45.6% FG, 36.7% 3P

Being a top-10 pick follows a player for a long time. Even eight or nine years later, people still remember where you were drafted and what everyone expected you to become. That was always part of Noah Vonleh's story.

The 6-foot-10 big man entered the NBA as the No. 9 pick in 2014 with a lot of upside attached to his name, but his career ended up being much more about surviving in different roles than becoming a star. He played 362 NBA games for eight different teams, started 172 of them, and had his best season with the Knicks in 2018-19.

That year was probably the closest NBA fans got to seeing the full version of Vonleh. He averaged 8.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists while starting 57 games, and for a while he looked like he might settle into a long-term starting role, but it never fully happened.

A few years later, Shanghai became the next chapter, and his game actually translated pretty well to the CBA. In 2021-22, Vonleh averaged 15.0 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks across 23 games. He also shot 38.0% from three, showing off a nice development for a center-sized player: rebounding, defensive activity, and enough shooting to pull defenders away from the paint.

That team was also good. Shanghai finished 28-10, reached the playoffs as one of the better teams in the league, swept Shenzhen in the opening round, and then lost to the Zhejiang Lions. Vonleh eventually came back for another short Sharks stint in 2023-24, playing 14 more games and averaging 11.6 points and 5.9 rebounds, so across both runs, he gave Shanghai 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

8. Guerschon Yabusele

NBA Stats: 6.2 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 46.2% FG, 36.3% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 21.5 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 2.1 APG, 1.3 SPG, 1.0 BPG, 54.2% FG, 38.8% 3P

Most players on this list arrived in Shanghai because their NBA careers had slowed down, but this one happened in reverse, since Guerschon Yabusele hadn't even played an NBA game yet.

Boston had just used the No. 16 pick on him in the 2016 NBA Draft, but with no immediate roster spot available, the Celtics let him stay overseas for development, and Shanghai ended up getting a 21-year-old first-round pick before the NBA really knew what he was.

And for one season, it worked incredibly well. Yabusele averaged 21.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 38 games while shooting 54.2% from the field and 38.8% from three. He was one of the two main offensive pieces on a Sharks team that also had Jimmer Fredette putting up ridiculous scoring numbers.

Shanghai went 30-8 that season, one of the best records in the CBA, and Guerschon became an instant All-Star selection that year. His first NBA stint with the Celtics barely went anywhere, with 74 games across two seasons, never averaging more than 2.3 points, and he eventually left the league entirely. At that point, his NBA career looked almost finished before it had really started.

Then came Europe, Real Madrid, France, and eventually one of the better NBA comeback stories of the last few years. Yabusele returned with the 76ers in 2024-25 and averaged 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 50.1% from the field and 38.0% from three. Suddenly, the player Shanghai had seen back in 2016 finally flourished into a great role player in the NBA, even if that second chance didn't last as long as expected.

He signed with the Knicks the following summer, struggled to find a consistent role, was traded to the Bulls at the 2026 deadline, and eventually returned to Europe this offseason, signing a three-year deal with Panathinaikos.

7. Michael Beasley

NBA Stats: 12.4 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 46.5% FG, 34.9% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 27.0 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 4.8 APG, 1.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 50.5% FG, 33.5% 3P

There might not be a bigger "what if" player anywhere on this list. Michael Beasley entered the NBA as the No. 2 pick in 2008 after one of the most dominant college seasons of his generation, and the scoring talent was just elite.

He averaged 13.9 points as a rookie with the Heat, moved into the starting lineup the following year, and then had his best NBA season with the Timberwolves in 2010-11, putting up 19.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 45.0% from the field.

The superstar jump never came, but Beasley still lasted 11 seasons and 609 games, while having productive stops with the Heat, Timberwolves, Suns, Rockets, Bucks, Knicks, and Lakers. At his best, he was one of those forwards who could get a bucket from basically anywhere.

His first season with Shanghai in 2014-15 was ridiculous: 28.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.9 steals while shooting 51.3% from the field. He also scored 59 points in the CBA All-Star Game, setting a record at the time. The only problem was the team around him. The Sharks went just 17-21 and missed the playoffs even with Beasley putting up video-game numbers every night.

He later became even more dominant in the CBA, averaging 31.7 points and 13.0 rebounds for Shandong, and eventually returned to Shanghai for four games in 2022-23. Across his two Sharks stints, Beasley finished at 27.0 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. He didn't stay long enough or win enough with them, but few players the franchise has ever signed arrived with more pure NBA talent.

6. Jimmer Fredette

NBA Stats: 6.0 PPG, 1.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.0 BPG, 40.9% FG, 37.2% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 34.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 5.4 APG, 2.0 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 47.0% FG, 41.4% 3P

If this ranking were only about NBA production, Jimmer Fredette wouldn't be anywhere close to No. 6, but if it were only about what happened in a Shanghai jersey, he might be the GOAT, as crazy as that sounds.

Fredette entered the league with enormous hype after winning National Player of the Year at BYU and becoming the No. 10 pick in the 2011 Draft, but his NBA game never fully translated. He lasted 241 games across six seasons and averaged only 6.0 points, starting seven times while bouncing through the Kings, Bulls, Pelicans, Knicks, and Suns.

Shanghai changed everything, as Fredette arrived in 2016 and immediately became one of the craziest scorers the CBA had seen. He averaged 37.3 points in his first regular season, shot 41.1% from three on more than 11 attempts per game, carried the Sharks to a 30-8 record, and won CBA International MVP. He even dropped 73 points in a double-overtime game that season.

And somehow, that wasn't a one-year explosion. He followed it with 37.4 PPG in 2017-18, then 36.9 PPG in 2018-19. Fredette returned again in 2020-21 and averaged another 26.9 points and 6.4 assists. Across 165 regular-season games for Shanghai, he scored 5,653 points and knocked down 781 threes at 41.4%.

The Sharks never turned that run into a championship, which is the one major thing missing from his résumé there. Still, very few foreign players have ever been as closely linked to the franchise.

5. Eric Bledsoe

NBA Stats: 13.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.4 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 45.2% FG, 33.6% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 15.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 7.0 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 44.3% FG, 31.4% 3P

Eric Bledsoe was never technically an All-Star, but for several years he played at that level. He spent 12 seasons in the NBA, appeared in 756 games, started 568 of them, and had a five-year stretch where he was one of the most physical two-way point guards in the league. His peak came in 2016-17, putting up 21.1 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.4 steals for the Suns.

His career shifted once he joined the Bucks, becoming the starting point guard on teams built around Giannis Antetokounmpo, earning All-Defensive First Team honors in 2018-19, making the Second Team the following year, and helping Milwaukee reach the Eastern Conference Finals in 2019.

That workload made his move to Shanghai pretty notable, and while his career was on the decline once he joined in 2022, he wasn't arriving as a random veteran. He had been a 20-point scorer, an elite defender, and a starter on one of the best teams in the NBA.

Across three seasons and exactly 100 regular-season games with the Sharks, Bledsoe averaged 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, and 1.6 steals. The scoring dropped from 17.6 PPG in 2022-23 to 13.6 in 2024-25, while his playmaking climbed all the way to 9.3 assists per game in his third season.

During the 2024 playoffs, Bledsoe averaged 21.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 5.0 assists across eight games, although the Sharks again fell short of a championship.

4. D'Angelo Russell

NBA Stats: 17.0 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 42.7% FG, 36.3% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: N/A

Russell is only 30 years old and arrives in Shanghai in a very different spot from the usual veteran going overseas at 34 or 35 after barely hanging on to an NBA roster. His career slowed down, sure, but we're still talking about a player who averaged 18.0 points and 6.3 assists just two seasons before his final NBA year.

Things fell apart quickly at the end. Russell played only 26 games for Dallas in 2025-26 and averaged 10.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists while shooting 40.5% from the field. He was then moved through Washington and Memphis during the offseason, and the Grizzlies waived him before he ever played a game for them. Shanghai signed him only days later.

And honestly, that NBA side is already enough for No. 4. A former No. 2 pick, an All-Star, and a guard with more than 11,000 NBA points joining Shanghai at 30 instantly makes him one of the biggest names the franchise has ever brought in.

Now we get to see if his Sharks career can become as interesting as the history he brings with him.

3. Luis Scola

NBA Stats: 12.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 49.3% FG, 33.9% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 19.7 PPG, 10.1 RPG, 2.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 51.0% FG, 30.6% 3P

Some careers are bigger than their list of NBA awards, and Luis Scola is probably the best example here. He never made an All-Star Game and never became an NBA superstar, but his pedigree is enormous.

Scola played 743 games across 10 seasons, started 504 of them, and averaged 12.0 points and 6.7 rebounds while spending most of his prime as one of the league's most reliable power forwards. He didn't even reach the NBA until he was 27, which makes those numbers more impressive.

His best years came with the Rockets . Scola averaged at least 12.7 points in each of his first five seasons there and peaked at 18.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 2010-11. He wasn't flashy, but his footwork, touch, midrange game, and ability to score around the basket made him a problem for years.

Then add everything outside the NBA. Olympic gold with Argentina in 2004, multiple international medals, decades of high-level basketball, and one of the longest elite careers of his generation. That history matters when we're talking about how big a basketball legend he was when he reached Shanghai.

Scola joined the Sharks in 2018-19 at 38 years old and still nearly averaged 20-10. He put up 19.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 46 games while shooting 51.0% from the field, helping Shanghai reach the playoffs before an early elimination.

He wasn't there for years, and he didn't win a title, but he also wasn't some finished veteran collecting one last contract, as Scola was still producing every night and even made the World Cup Final in 2019, earning his place in the All-Star Five lineup at 39 years old.

Russell has the All-Star selection and a bigger scoring peak in the NBA, but Scola's career carries more historical weight. Between 743 NBA games, a decade of production, and one of the most respected international careers ever, there was no way I was putting him outside the top three.

2. Gilbert Arenas

NBA Stats: 20.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 42.1% FG, 35.1% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 20.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 46.3% FG, 40.7% 3P

At his absolute best, nobody below this spot came close to Gilbert Arenas in the NBA. There was a three-year stretch where Arenas was one of the most explosive scorers in basketball. From 2004-05 through 2006-07, he averaged 27.7 points and 5.7 assists, made three straight All-Star Games, and earned three consecutive All-NBA selections. His peak season came in 2005-06, when he exploded for 29.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game.

Injuries changed everything for him, as knee problems basically destroyed the second half of his prime, and by 2011-12 he was already down to a tiny bench role with the Grizzlies. One year later, Shanghai became his next stop.

Even in a body that clearly wasn't the same anymore, Arenas still produced. He averaged 20.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in 14 games while shooting 46.3% from the field and 40.7% from three. Those are strong numbers, but his Sharks run never had time to become much more than an interesting final chapter. Shanghai finished 10-22 and missed the playoffs, while Arenas appeared in less than half the season.

As an NBA star, though, Arenas averaged 20.7 points across 552 games, reached nearly 30 PPG at his peak, made three All-Star teams, and was a three-time All-NBA guard. Only one player who ever wore a Sharks jersey had a clearly bigger career.

1. Yao Ming

NBA Stats: 19.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.4 SPG, 1.9 BPG, 52.4% FG, 20.0% 3P

Shanghai Sharks Stats: 23.4 PPG, 15.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, N/A SPG, N/A BPG, 65.1% FG, N/A 3P

Long before the NBA knew what to do with a 7-foot-6 center from China, Yao Ming was growing into a monster with Shanghai. He joined the senior team as a teenager and improved basically every year, going from 10.0 points and 8.3 rebounds as a rookie to 32.4 points and 19.0 rebounds in his final CBA regular season.

Across 122 games, he averaged 23.4 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting an absurd 65.1% from the field. Historical CBA records from that period don't consistently list steals, blocks, or three-point shooting, so those career numbers aren't included here.

The last season was the one that turned him into a global prospect. He put up 32.4 points, 19 rebounds, and 4.8 blocks per game that year, as Yao dominated the 2002 championship series, including a perfect 21-21 shooting performance in Game 1, and the Sharks won their first CBA title.

A few months later, the Rockets made him the No. 1 pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. From there, he became something much bigger than just another successful international player. Yao averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds over 486 NBA games, made eight All-Star teams, earned five All-NBA selections, and reached the Hall of Fame despite injuries cutting his career short.

At his peak, he had seasons of 25.0 points and 9.4 rebounds and was one of the hardest centers in the league to guard.

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