Zhejiang's Hu claims CBA regular season MVP

BEIJING -- Zhejiang Lions power forward Hu Jinqiu was announced the winner of the Most Valuable Player award in the 2021-22 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) regular season on Tuesday.

Hu led the vote from media representatives with 483 points, beating out competition from Liaoning Flying Leopards point guard Zhao Jiwei and Shenzhen Aviators center Shen Zijie, who garnered 244 and 174 points respectively.

Hu shot a league-best 71.3 percent from the field to average 21.0 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.0 assists in 37 appearances. He ranked second among domestic players in points per game, leading the Zhejiang Lions to regular season's runners-up.

Shen was named Defensive Player of the Year with an average of 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 blocks.

The three players were named in the First All-CBA Domestic Team, along with Hu's teammate Sun Minghui and Xinjiang Flying Tigers power forward Abdusalam Abdurexit.

Returning from an ACL rupture, Abdusalam was awarded the Most Improved Player. Abdusalam averaged 23.0 points in the regular season, compared with 7.3 points the year before, setting his career-high with 43 points against the Liaoning Flying Leopards on Oct. 25, 2021, before improving it to 50 points against the Fujian Sturgeons on March 12.

Shanxi Loongs point guard Kay Felder was named the Best Foreign Player after averaging 24.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, 10.0 assists and 2.7 steals in 35 matches, including 34 starts.

Zhejiang Golden Bulls center Yu Jiahao got the Rising Star of the Year award with an average of 12.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his first season.

Guangdong Southern Tigers power forward Ren Junfei came out the winner of the Sixth Man of the Year. Ren played 18 times this season as a reserve in 33 overall, registering 11.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per match.

Zhejiang Lions head coach Wang Bo was named Coach of the Year after leading his side to a win-loss record of 31-7.

The Second All-CBA Domestic Team features Beijing Ducks power forward Fan Ziming, Han Dejun from the Liaoning Flying Leopards, Jiang Yuxing from the Jilin Northeast Tigers, Guangzhou Loong Lions point guard Chen Ying-Chun and Zhejiang Golden Bulls point guard Wu Qian, the previous MVP in the regular season.

The 2021-22 CBA playoffs will be staged in Nanchang in east China's Jiangxi Province starting from Friday. The top four sides in the regular season will enjoy a bye in the first round, and the remaining four quarterfinal berths will be decided through a best-of-three knockout series.