Beijing Aoshen Olympian (北京奥神) or Beijing Olympian or Beijing Olympians or Beijing Aoshen are a basketball team that formerly played in the Chinese Basketball Association and now play in the American Basketball Association. Some sources refer to them (slightly ungrammatically) as Beijing Olympician. They should not be confused with the Beijing Ducks, which is a different team. The Chinese Basketball Association, commonly known as the CBA, is the premier professional basketball league in the Peoples Republic of China and has been in existence since 1995. ... The American Basketball Association (ABA) ABA was founded in 1999 and is currently in a period of expansion. ... Beijing Jinyu Ducks (北京金隅鸭) or Beijing Ducks or Beijing Jinyu are a basketball team in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Beijing. ...

In the 2003-04 season, they finished 7th out of 12 teams in the CBA regular season, and were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Jiangsu Dragons. They were disqualified from play for the 2004-05 season (see below), and although it was intended that they would return for the 2005-06 season, negotiations to rejoin the league broke down at the end of June 2005. Jiangsu Nangang Dragons (江苏南钢龙同曦) or Jiangsu Dragons or Jiangsu Nangang are a basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu. ...

Beijing Aoshen Olympian joined the new American Basketball Association for the 2005-06 season and are playing in the Spencer Haywood Division of the Red Conference. In the ABA they play their home games in Maywood, California rather than Beijing. The American Basketball Association (ABA) ABA was founded in 1999 and is currently in a period of expansion. ... Maywood is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. ... ▶ (help· info) or Peking is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

History

For two seasons (1999–2000 and 2000-01) they were known as Vanguard Aoshen (前卫奥神); this team represented a merger between Vanguard (前卫万燕) and the then-existing Beijing Aoshen team. Occasionally the name Qianwei Aoshen was used instead (here, the word qianwei for "vanguard" is transliterated rather than translated). After that, however, the team used the Beijing Aoshen name once again.

The Vanguard team had a long history. It was founded in the 1950s and had some success over the years. The team played in the first CBA season in 1995-96, but finished last out of 12 teams and left the CBA. Meanwhile, the original Beijing Aoshen team was formed in 1997 as Beijing Aosheng (北京奥胜), and in 1998 won the "B" league championship to win promotion to the CBA. Soon after that they represented China in the Asian club championship, changing their name to Aoshen at the start of that competition, which they won (some media reports at the time incorrectly gave their name as 奥盛). // Events and trends This map shows two essential global spheres during the Cold War in 1959. ...

The newly promoted Beijing Aoshen then made their CBA debut in the 1998-99 season. A key player on the team was Ma Jian. In an unprecedented move, they hired a female coach, Li Xin (李昕), but she was fired after only five games and replaced by Mike McGee, a former member of the Los Angeles Lakers, who became the first non-Chinese coach in the CBA. Aoshen finished fourth and lost in the semi-finals to the Bayi Rockets. Ma Jian (Simplified: 马健; Traditional: 馬健; Hanyu Pinyin: ) was a basketball player from the Peoples Republic of China best known for playing college basketball for the University of Utah from 1993–1995, and becoming one of the first Chinese nationals to play competitive basketball in the United States. ... The Los Angeles Lakers are a National Basketball Association team based in Los Angeles, California. ... Bayi Shuanglu Rockets (八一双鹿电池火箭) or Bayi Rockets or Bayi Army Rockets or Bayi Shuanglu are a basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Ningbo, Zhejiang. ...

The following season, they merged with Vanguard, but struggled and finished sixth. In 2000-01 they continued to struggle: Ma Jian was dropped from the team in mid-season and they finished seventh. So far, they have never equaled their first-year performance.

2004-2005 suspension and current status

On May 17, 2004, the Beijing Olympians were suspended from the CBA for a year for refusing to release Sun Yue to the national under-20 team. On May 25, 2004 the CBA announced that the winner of the 2004 CBL season would be promoted to the CBA to take the Olympians' place; that team turned out to be the Yunnan Bulls. May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Born on November 6, 1985, Sun Yue (Chinese: 孙悦, pinyin: SÅ«n Yuè) is a 69 basketball player from Hubei, China who is currently a member of the Beijing Aoshen basketball team. ... May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Chinese Basketball League (国篮球联赛) is a division 2 basketball minor league in the Peoples Republic of China. ... Yunnan Honghe Bulls (云南红河奔牛) or Yunnan Honghe or Yunnan Bulls are a basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Mengzi, Yunnan (蒙自). ...

While under suspension from the CBA, Aoshen played a seven-game tour in Taiwan against each team of the SBL, sweeping all seven games. [1] The Super Basketball League (Traditional Chinese: 超級籃球聯賽; Simplified Chinese: 超级篮球联赛; pinyin: ) or SBL is a basketball league in the Republic of China (Taiwan). ...

It was intended that they would return to the CBA for the 2005-06 season, as the CBA expanded from 14 teams to 16, but negotiations broke down and the league only expanded to 15 teams. (Club Withdraws from Top Basketball League)

As "Beijing Aoshen Olympian", they joined the new American Basketball Association for the 2005-06 season. The American Basketball Association (ABA) ABA was founded in 1999 and is currently in a period of expansion. ...

Notable Players

• Ma Jian
• Sun Yue - the young tall guard at 6'9" is one of the tallest guards in the world. His development will be a key on whether the Chinese national team wins an Olympic medals in the future.
• Zhang Song Tao - the strong 7" center is a potential backup for Yao Ming on the national team

Ma Jian (馬健, Pinyin: Mǎ Jiàn) was a basketball player from the Peoples Republic of China best known for playing college basketball for the University of Utah from 1993-1995, and becoming one of the first Chinese nationals to play competitive basketball in the United States. ... Born on November 6, 1985, Sun Yue (Chinese: 孙悦, pinyin: SÅ«n Yuè) is a 69 basketball player from Hubei, China who is currently a member of the Beijing Aoshen basketball team. ...

External links

• Official Site
• ABA Site for the Club]
• Article on Club (in Simplified Chinese)