In basketball news, the Shandong Golden Stars were eliminated from the semi-finals of the CBA Playoffs on Wednesday, going down in Game 7 to the top seeded Guangsha Lions. But there will be no rest for their American guard Ty Lawson who is headed to the NBA after signing a contract with the Washington Wizards to give them additional depth heading into their first-round playoff series against the Toronto Raptors.

The 30-year-old Lawson averaged 25.8 points, 6.6 assists and 2.4 steals in the regular season for Shandong, helping the team to finish fourth. Lawson was not out of the NBA for long and averaged 9.9 points and 4.8 assists for the Sacramento Kings in the 2016-17 season. He has played eight seasons in the NBA, spending time with four teams. Washington will travel to Toronto on Saturday to face the top seeds in the East in Game One.

Lawson's Shandong teammate Ding Yangyuhang, who earned back to back CBA domestic MVP honours in the past two seasons, is also going to the US. The 24-year-old forward will receive treatment there for his leg injury. Ding will keep in touch with some NBA teams and play in the summer league again after making an impact with the Dallas Mavericks last summer.