2018–19 Chinese Basketball Association season
The 2018–19 CBA season was the 24th season of the Chinese Basketball Association. In this campaign, the regular season expands from 38 games to 46 games, while the playoffs expand from 10 teams to 12 teams.
Team changes
The Shanxi Brave Dragons changed their official English name to the Shanxi Loongs at a lavish unveiling ceremony in September. “Loongs” is the Cantonese term for Dragons and was chosen by team ownership, even though people living in Shanxi speak Mandarin Chinese.The Bayi Rockets began playing their home games in Nanchang after spending many years in Ningbo, and the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions began playing their home games in Zhuji to cultivate a fanbase away from central Hangzhou and stop splintering local support with the Zhejiang Golden Bulls.
Venues
Head Coaches
Draft
The 2018 CBA Draft, the fourth edition of the CBA draft, took place on 29 July 2018. 14 players were selected in the draft.| Player | Team | ||||
| 1 | 1 | China | Jilin Northeast Tigers | Henan Roaring Elephants | |
| 1 | 2 | China | Sichuan Blue Whales | Hefei Yuanchuang | |
| 1 | 3 | China | Tianjin Gold Lions | Luoyang Zhonghe | |
| 1 | 4 | China | Qingdao Eagles | Taiyuan University of Technology | |
| 1 | 5 | China | Nanjing Monkey Kings | Shenzhen Leopards Youth | |
| 1 | 6 | China | Zhejiang Golden Bulls | Zhejiang Guangsha Lions Youth | |
| 1 | 7 | China | Guangzhou Long-Lions | Guangdong Southern Tigers Youth | |
| 1 | 8 | China | Beijing Ducks | Hunan Baining | |
| 1 | 9 | China | Guangdong Southern Tigers | Shandong Golden Stars Youth | |
| 2 | 1 | China | Tianjin Gold Lions | Shandong Agricultural University | |
| 2 | 2 | China | Qingdao Eagles | Bayi Rockets Youth | |
| 2 | 3 | China | Shanghai Sharks | Shanghai Sharks Youth | |
| 2 | 4 | China | Guangzhou Long-Lions | Lhasa Pure Land | |
| 2 | 5 | China | Guangdong Southern Tigers | Peking University |
Foreign players policy
All teams except the Bayi Rockets can have two foreign players. The bottom two teams from the previous season have the additional right to sign an extra Asian player.Rules Chart
The rules for using foreign players in each game are described in this chart:| # | Facing other teams | Facing Bayi Rockets |
| Chinese players+ | No Limit | No Limit |
| Asian players++ | No Limit | 4 quarters collectively+++ |
| International players | 6 quarters collectively+++ | 4 quarters collectively+++ |
+ Including players from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
++ If a team waives its right to sign an extra Asian player, it may use its 2 foreign players for 7 quarters collectively.
+++ Only 1 allowed in the 4th quarter.
Import chart
This is the full list of international players who competed in the CBA during the 2018-19 season.| Team | Player 1 | Player 2 | Asian Player | Replaced During Season |
| Bayi Rockets | – | – | – | – |
| Beijing Ducks | Aaron Jackson | Justin Hamilton | N/A | |
| Beikong Fly Dragons | Ricky Ledo | Thomas Robinson | N/A | Pierre Jackson Shavlik Randolph |
| Fujian Sturgeons | Eugene Jeter | Andrew Nicholson | N/A | Russ Smith Xavier Munford |
| Guangdong Southern Tigers | Michael Beasley | MarShon Brooks | N/A | Malcolm Delaney Sonny Weems |
| Guangzhou Long-Lions | Kyle Fogg | Lorenzo Brown | N/A | Marreese Speights Cory Jefferson |
| Jiangsu Dragons | Donald Sloan | Miroslav Raduljica | N/A | Jerome Dyson |
| Jilin Northeast Tigers | Dominique Jones | Maciej Lampe | N/A | |
| Liaoning Flying Leopards | Lester Hudson | Brandon Bass | N/A | |
| Nanjing Monkey Kings | Joe Young | Isaiah Austin | N/A | Adreian Payne |
| Qingdao Eagles | Jonathan Gibson | Dakari Johnson | N/A | |
| Shandong Golden Stars | Ty Lawson | Donatas Motiejūnas | N/A | Andrew Goudelock JaKarr Sampson |
| Shanghai Sharks | Jimmer Fredette | Luis Scola | N/A | |
| Shanxi Loongs | Bobby Brown | Shabazz Muhammad | N/A | Chris McCullough Josh Adams |
| Shenzhen Leopards | Dwight Buycks | Kenny Boynton | N/A | Quincy Acy Jared Sullinger |
| Sichuan Blue Whales | Jordan Crawford | Jason Thompson | – | Jamaal Franklin |
| Tianjin Gold Lions | Taylor Rochestie | Andray Blatche | N/A | Cole Aldrich |
| Xinjiang Flying Tigers | Kay Felder | Jarnell Stokes | N/A | Darius Adams Al Jefferson Nick Minnerath Hamed Haddadi |
| Zhejiang Golden Bulls | Marcus Denmon | Brandon Paul | N/A | Archie Goodwin Tyler Hansbrough |
| Zhejiang Guangsha Lions | Courtney Fortson | Ioannis Bourousis | N/A |
- Sichuan and Bayi, the bottom two teams of last season, renounced the right of signing an Asian player.
Regular Season Standings
| Top 4 teams advance directly to Quarterfinals of CBA Playoffs | |
| 5th-12th place teams progress to First Round of CBA Playoffs |
Playoffs
Statistics
The CBA is like the NCAA, and unlike the NBA, as the CBA combines regular season statistics with playoff statistics, so these lists are not yet final.Statistical leaders – Individual
Statistical leaders – Team
Awards
Yearly awards
This is a list of the 2018–19 CBA season's yearly awards winners.| Award | Recipient | Runner-up/Finalists | Ref. |
| Domestic Most Valuable Player |  Wang Zhelin | Abdusalam Abdurixit Guo Ailun Hu Jinqiu Yi Jianlian | |
| International Most Valuable Player |  Darius Adams |  Jimmer Fredette Aaron Jackson Dominique Jones  Maciej Lampe | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Yi Jianlian | Darius Adams Brandon Bass Justin Hamilton Sonny Weems | |
| Most Improved Player | Abdusalam Abdurixit | Shen Zijie Shi Deshuai | |
| Young Rising Star of the Year | Jiang Yuxing |  Chen Ying-chun Cheng Shuaipeng | |
| Coach of the Year | Du Feng | Adiljan Jun Guo Shiqiang Wang Jianjun |
Players of the Week
This is a list of the 2018–19 CBA season's Player of the Week award winners.| Week | Domestic Player of the Week | International Player of the Week | Ref. |
| 1 | Hu Jinqiu | Pierre Jackson | |
| 2 | Han Shuo | Jamaal Franklin | |
| 3 | Zhao Rui | Darius Adams | |
| 4 | Yi Jianlian | Jared Sullinger | |
| 5 | Wang Zhelin | Joe Young | |
| 6 | Wang Zhelin | Pierre Jackson | |
| 7 | Wang Zhelin | Darius Adams | |
| 8 | Yi Jianlian | Darius Adams | |
| 9 | Cheng Shuaipeng |  Taylor Rochestie | |
| 10 | Shi Deshuai | Shabazz Muhammad | |
| 11 | Guo Ailun | Darius Adams | |
| 12 | Yi Jianlian | Jamaal Franklin | |
| 13 | Wu Qian | Darius Adams | |
| 14 | Wang Zhelin | Dominique Jones | |
| 15 | Yi Jianlian |  Donatas Motiejunas | |
| 16 | Guo Ailun | Darius Adams |
Players of the Month
This is a list of the 2018–19 CBA season's Player of the Month award winners.| Month | Domestic Player of the Month | International Player of the Month | Ref. |
| October/November | Hu Jinqiu | Jimmer Fredette | |
| December | Wang Zhelin | Pierre Jackson | |
| January | Yi Jianlian | Dominique Jones | |
| February/March | Guo Ailun | Donatas Motiejunas |
Young Rising Stars of the Month
This is a list of the 2018–19 CBA season's Young Rising Star of the Month award winners.| Month | Young Rising Star of the Month | Ref. |
| October/November | Shen Zijie | |
| December | Jiang Yuxing | |
| January | Cheng Shuaipeng | |
| February/March |