Basketball in Shanghai

China is the third oldest basketball playing nation in the world after United States and Canada. The game of basketball was introduced in China during the 19th century, when the American YMCA missionaries brought the game to China. Gradually the sport became popular in the country and today basketball has become a professional sport in China. Like other cities of China, basketball is also popular in Shanghai. Basketball in Shanghai is extremely popular amongst the youth of the city.

The popularity of the game in the city received a major boost, when Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) was formed in 1995. The association is modeled on the NBA of United States and it is the first professional and competitive basketball league in the China. With the establishment of the association the game of the basketball in Shanghai received a major impetus and from being an amateur game, basketball eventually got transformed into a professional sport. Now there are many professional basketball teams in the city that participate in the league and these reams also have achieved moderate success in the league. Besides, CBA there is also a Chinese Basketball League in the country.

Basketball is extremely popular in the schools and colleges of Shanghai and the city is home to many inter school and college tournaments. These tournaments are extremely important as new talented players surface in these competitions, who have got the potential to become big stars of the professional basketball circuit.