Liaoning Flying Leopards
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| League | CBA | ||
| Founded | 1995 | ||
| History |
Liaoning Hunters (1995-08) Liaoning Dinosaurs (2008-11) Liaoning Flying Leopards (2011-present) | ||
| Arena | Benxi Gymnasium | ||
| Capacity | 4,500 | ||
| Location | Benxi, Liaoning, China | ||
| Team colors |
Purple, gold, black | ||
| Team manager | Jie Jun | ||
| Head coach | Guo Shiqiang | ||
| Uniforms | |||
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The Liaoning Flying Leopards (辽宁药都本溪飞豹) (also known as the Liaoning Scale Industry Flying Leopards or simply Liaoning Scale Industry) are a professional basketball team based in Yingkou, Liaoning, China, which plays in the North Division of the Chinese Basketball Association. Some home games are also held in nearby Benxi. The Liaoning Scale Industry Group is the club's corporate sponsor while its mascot is a flying leopard. In 2011, Scale Industry took over sponsorship from the Liaoning Panpan Group Co., Ltd. (辽宁盼盼集团有限公司).
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.[1]
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.[2] It would later be revealed that this move was made in the interest of developing sharpshooter Guo Ailun.[3] On December 2, 2012, the Flying Leopards beat the Tianjin Gold Lions 100-81. This was Liaoning's sixth straight home victory against Tianjin.[4]
The Flying Leopards have since become regular contenders for the CBA title again, powered by such players as Guo, big man Han Dejun, and multi-time CBA International MVP Lester Hudson. Liaoning lost to the Beijing Ducks in six games in the 2015 CBA Finals.
Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.
| Liaoning Flying Leopards roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Notable players
Current
-
Li Xiaoxu(2005-) - Han Dejun(2007-)
- Guo Ailun(2010-)
- Zhao Jiwei(2013-)
-
Lester Hudson(2014-) - Shavlik Randolph(2015-)
Former
- Wu Qinglong(1984-1997)
- Wu Naiqun(1993-2000)
- Li Xiaoyong(1993-2003)
- Guo Shiqiang(1993-2006)
- Zhang Qingpeng(2001-2010, 2011-2012)
- Josh Powell(2011-2012)
- Dominique Jones(2013-2014)
- Hakim Warrick(2013-2014)
References
External links
- Club Profile at Sina.com (Chinese)
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