BEIJING, April 26 (Xinhua) — Shenzhen Aviators’ guard He Xining was named the most valuable player of the 2025-2026 Chinese Basketball Association regular season, while Lu Wei of the Shanghai Sharks was voted the coach of the year, the league announced on Sunday night.
He Xining started all 41 regular-season games for Shenzhen, averaging 34.3 minutes per game. He posted 20.1 points, 1.5 steals, 4.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 0.1 blocks per game. His scoring average ranked seventh in the league, with shooting splits of 48 percent from the field, 41.6 percent from three-point range and 82.7 percent from the free throw line. Shenzhen finished the regular season with 30 wins and advanced to the playoffs after finishing third in the regular season.
Lu led Shanghai to a record of 38 wins and 4 losses, the best in the regular-season standings, with a winning percentage of 90.5 percent. The Sharks also put together a 23-game winning streak during the season.
Shanghai center Hassan Whiteside was named defensive player of the year. He played 32 regular-season games (10 starts), averaging 1.4 blocks (sixth in the league), 8.8 rebounds (seventh overall, including 5.7 defensive boards) and 0.3 steals per game.
Jia Mingru of the Shanxi Loongs earned the sixth man of the year award. He appeared in 40 games (24 as a substitute), averaging 25.9 minutes, 10.7 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.5 steals, while shooting 47.9 percent from the field and 44.2 percent from three-point range.
Xu Xin of the Guangzhou Loong Lions was named the most improved player. In 2024-2025 regular season, Xu averaged 4.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.2 blocks in 35 games (three starts) over 10.3 minutes per game. This season, he started 39 of 40 appearances, averaging 11 points, 8.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.8 blocks in 24.7 minutes per game.
Pang Zhenglin of the Jiangsu Dragons was selected as rookie of the year. In his first CBA season, he played 41 games, averaging 31.4 minutes, 16.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.1 blocks per game. He led his team in scoring among domestic players.
Shenzhen’s Terquavion Smith was named the international player of the year. He played 42 games, averaging 27.8 minutes, 24.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.4 blocks, with shooting percentages of 44.1 from the field, 38.4 from three-point range and 80.5 from the free throw line. ■
