Yao Ming is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Yao was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. During his final season, he was the tallest active player in the NBA, at 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m).
Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr., nicknamed T-Mac, is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McGrady is a seven-time NBA All-Star, seven-time All-NBA selection, two-time NBA scoring champion, and winner of the NBA Most Improved Player Award in 2001. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2017. McGrady is regarded as one of the greatest scorers and shooting guards in NBA history.
The Chinese Basketball Association, often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China.
Rudolph Tomjanovich Jr. is an American former professional basketball player and coach. He won two NBA Championships with the Houston Rockets and coached Team USA to the gold medal in men's basketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
The Liaoning Flying Leopards, 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 Beijing Shougang Ducks, also known as Beijing Shougang or Beijing Ducks, are a professional basketball team based in Beijing, China, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. The Shougang Corporation is the club's corporate sponsor while its mascot is a duck.
The Xinjiang Flying Tigers is a professional basketball team based in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. The team plays its home games at the Urumqi Olympic Sports Center, which has a capacity for 12,000 spectators. The club joined the Chinese Basketball Association Division 2 in the 1999–2000 CBA season, advanced to Division 1A in the 2002–03 season, and had three consecutive Grand Finals appearances in the 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11 seasons. The Flying Tigers won their first Championship in the 2016–17 CBA season, defeating Guangdong Southern Tigers 4–0 in the finals.
The National Basketball League (simplified Chinese: 全国男子篮球联赛; traditional Chinese: 全國男子籃球聯賽; pinyin: Quánguó Nánzǐ Lánqiú Liánsài) is a professional basketball minor league in China, called Chinese Basketball League (CBL) before 2006. It is commonly known as the NBL, and this name (spelled out in letters) is often used even in Chinese.
Lindsay John Casson Gaze is an Australian former basketball player and coach.
The NBA's Most Improved Player (MIP) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to the player who has shown the most progress during the regular season compared to previous seasons. The winner is selected by a panel of sportswriters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third place selections. Each first-place vote is worth five points; each second-place vote is worth three points, and each third-place vote is worth one point. The player with the highest point total, regardless of the number of first-place votes, wins the award. The criteria for selecting the most improved player was initially open-ended, but the NBA clarified in later years that it was intended for an up-and-coming player who improved dramatically and not a player who made a comeback, distinguishing it from the defunct NBA Comeback Player of the Year Award. Since the 2022–23 NBA season, winners receive the George Mikan Trophy, named after the five-time NBA champion.
The following are the basketball events of the year 2006 throughout the world.
Joshua Emmanuel Akognon is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars and Cal State Fullerton Titans. Standing at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m), he played at the point guard position.
James Dixon Mays is an American-born naturalized Central African former professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He represented the Central African Republic at the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship.
Hamed Ehdadi Haddadi is an Iranian professional basketball player for Palayesh Naft Abadan of the Iranian Basketball Super League (IBSL). He played at the center position and is 7'2" tall and weighs 254 lbs. Haddadi was the first Iranian to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) when he debuted with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008. He played with the Grizzlies until 2013 before bouncing around the league with the Toronto Raptors and the Phoenix Suns. In 2013, he returned home to Iran before playing in China.
Dominique O'Neal Jones is an American professional basketball player for the Jilin Northeast Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. A noted scorer in college at the University of South Florida, Jones had the second-highest scoring average in the Big East Conference during the 2009–10 season. Jones has had a long career in the CBA and was named the league's MVP in 2023.
Guo Ailun is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Chinese national team. He is the first Chinese basketball player to sign with Jordan Brand. He is the nephew of former Chinese professional basketball player Guo Shiqiang.
Jason Dixon is a former American professional basketball player.
The Sichuan Jinqiang Blue Whales (四川金强蓝鲸), also known as Sichuan Jinqiang or Sichuan Jinrong Industry, are a professional basketball team based in Wenjiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. The Jinqiang Group is the club's corporate sponsor while its mascot is a blue whale.
Zhou Qi is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He has been a regular member of the China men's national basketball team since 2014, winning a gold team medal in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship and the 2018 Asian Games.
Jonathan Mychal Gibson is an American professional basketball player for the Sagesse Sports Club of the Lebanese Basketball League. He played college basketball for New Mexico State before playing professionally in Turkey, Israel, Italy, China and Iran. He made a name for himself in China, earning the league's scoring title in both the 2013–14 and the 2015–16 season, with 32.5 and 42 points per game respectively.
