New CBA season to kick off on Saturday

The 2017-2018 China Basketball Association season is set to kick off this Saturday, with three games on the schedule.

The 2017-2018 CBA season is set to kick off this Saturday night. Former NBA star Stephon Marbury will play for Beijing Beikong this year, which is also expected to be the 41-year old's final basketball season in China. [Photo: thepaper.cn]

The opening match-up has the defending champion Xinjiang Flying Tigers at home to the Jilin Northeast Tigers in Urumqi.

The other two games has Tianjin Ronggang up against the Qingdao Double Star Eagles, while Jiangsu Tongxi takes on Beijing Beikong.

This will be the first season of the CBA under a new administration leadership structure which has pulled professional basketball from under the traditional government-run sports system.

Former NBA star Yao Ming was elected as the chair of the Chinese Basketball Association in February.