Is There a History of Home Advantage in the Chinese Basketball Association?

The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) is the country’s equivalent of the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States. It’s the top tier of men’s professional basketball and was founded in 1995.

The first-ever edition of the CBA was the 1995/96 season, which was won by the Bayi Rockets.

Here is a closer look at whether there is a history of home advantage in the CBA, and if so, how much of an impact it has on how an average season pans out.

A few quick facts about the Chinese Basketball Association

Here are a few quick facts about the Chinese Basketball Association to bring those of you who aren’t too familiar with it up to speed:

• Year CBA was founded: 1995 (95/96 was the first season)
• Country: China
• Number of teams: 20
• Divisions 2 (Northern and Southern Divisions)
• CBA governing body: Chinese Basketball Management Center
• Level on Pyramid: 1 (top tier)
• Most successful CBA team: Guangdong Southern Tigers (11 championship titles)
• Current reigning champions: Liaoning Flying Leopards (3 championship titles)
• Official league website: CBALeague.com
• Current edition: 2023/24 CBA season

More interesting facts about the CBA

Some of the most notable domestic players ever to have played in the CBA are Sun Yue, Yao Ming, Menke Bateer, Zhou Qi, Yi Jianlian, and Wang Zhizhi, all of which have also played in the NBA for various teams.

Some of the NBA teams they have played for are the Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Houston Rockets, the New Jersey Nets, the Miami Heat, the Washington Wizards, and the Milwaukee Bucks, to name a few.

The most ever points scored in a game was in January 2015, when Errick McCollum (USA) scored 82 for the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, even though they lost 119-129 to the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

In March 2002, Garth Joseph (Dominica) recorded the most ever rebounds in one match (38) while playing for the Shaanxi Kylins when they beat the Shenzhen Yikang 139-88.

There’s also Li Qun (China), who had the most ever assists (28) in a match while playing for the Guangdong Southern Tigers when they beat the Nanjing Army 110-101 in February 2002.

Apart from the NBA, the CBA is now one of the most bet-on basketball leagues in the world. If you want to bet on the league today, the official Unibet website is one of the most trusted iGaming sites to turn to, and is well-known for having competitive CBA betting odds.

After you claim your Unibet sign up offer upon first deposit, you can start betting on the CBA straight away and then look forward to a wide range of monthly markets to choose from.

Is there a history of home advantage in the CBA?

Just like any sport in the world, there is also a history of home advantage in the CBA. On average, the home team scores more than the away team, and one of the main reasons for this is because of the fatigue often caused by travelling great distances.

Flying great distances tends to negatively affect the players, often causing them to underperform and lose matches they should have otherwise won if they were at home.

Travelling takes a lot out of a player, and when they play against a home team who haven’t had to travel and have had more time to relax and play in more familiar settings, you can see why the home advantage is often super helpful.

Players may have only had a few hours of sleep or may feel jet-lagged, which will significantly affect their performance on the court. The home advantage disappears when games are played at neutral venues, and both teams must travel.

What other home advantages are there in the CBA?

That’s not forgetting that more fans support home teams as fewer tickets are typically allocated to travelling fans, or fewer fans are unwilling to travel greater distances to support their team.

In other words, without the backing of away fans, away teams can underperform, which is another reason why there is a huge home team advantage.

The home team advantage also affects the referee’s and other match officials’ on-court decisions. They tend to favour the home team.

For example, if a referee hears 10,000 or more boos, jeers or negative reactions when a foul is suspected, compared to just a few hundred travelling supporters chanting to the contrary, the officials are more likely to side with the majority – a perfect example of another home team advantage.

Travelling away and hearing all the boos just as you are about to take a three-pointer or penalty can also put players off and make them miss the shot.

Conclusion

Some of the biggest names to keep an eye out for this season in the CBA are Kevin Zhang (forward, Flying Leopards), Eric Bledsoe (guard, Sharks), Yan Ting Lin (guard, Fly Dragons), Jared Sullinger (forward, Leopards), and Tacko Fall (center, Monkey King).

Others include Wang Zhelin (center, Sharks), Fanbo Zeng (forward, Ducks), Marcus Keene (guard, Ducks), Zhou Qi (center, Southern Tigers), Guo Ailun (guard, Flying Leopards), and Lin Tingqian (guard, Flying Leopards).

In the upcoming quarter-final matches on April 10, the Golden Bulls play the Sharks, and the Flying Tigers play the Lon-Lions, and then the following day, April 20, the Flying Leopards play the Leopards, and the Southern Tigers play the Lions, to name just a few upcoming fixtures.