The Fujian Sturgeons announced on Saturday that Ty Lawson will substitute Dante Cunningham as the team's only foreign player after the restart of Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season on June 20.
Lawson has played 18 games for Fujian this season, averaging 27.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.4 assists. The 33-year-old was replaced by Pooh Jeter in late December last year because of a ligament injury.
As the CBA season was postponed since late January due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Fujian's two active foreign players Cunningham and Jeter both left China for the United States and could not return before the season restart.
Ty Lawson in training for the CBA restart in Quanzhou, Fujian Province, May 11, 2020. /VCG
As a result, ex-Denver Nuggets guard Lawson is the only foreign player who is currently in China and can play for the franchise.
The Sturgeons now rank 12th on the league table with 13 wins and 17 defeats. They will face Beijing Royal Fighters on June 21.
The lack of foreign players has posed challenges to CBA teams, as Liaoning Flying Leopards had to sign O.J Mayo in late March as a backup foreign player to finish the season, who spent the past two years in various overseas leagues and teams following his NBA suspensions.
Meanwhile, teams such as the Beijing Ducks are in better position as both Jeremy Lin and Ekpe Udoh are in China and ready to play.
Jeremy Lin with the Beijing Ducks during game against the Beijing Royal Fighters in Beijing, January 21, 2020. /VCG
When the league resumes, 20 CBA teams will be divided into two groups to play in two Chinese cities, namely south China's Dongguan and Qingdao in the north, behind closed-doors. How the playoff games are scheduled remains uncertain.
The CBA will be the first professional league in China to resume its operations, while the country's top football league the Chinese Super League has yet to announce its potential reopening schemes.
(With input from Xinhua)
(Cover image: Ty Lawson during CBA game in Jinan, Shandong Province, December 31, 2019. /VCG)