CBA club Liaoning denies departure of Gao and Liu

BEIJING -- Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) side Liaoning Flying Leopards shrugged off rumors on Monday that players Gao Shiyan and Liu Zhixuan would part ways with the club.

The Liaoning club recently found themselves in a wave of rumors following former head coach Guo Shiqiang's departure.

Many people regarded it as a sign of Gao's departure when he deleted most of the content on China's twitter-like social media Weibo.

But the guard was pictured to participate in Liaoning's training to prepare for the upcoming second phase of CBA regular season commencing on Tuesday.

"No one in the club has mentioned Gao's departure. Your trust will be the utmost support to him and the team," the Liaoning club replied to a fan's concern on Weibo.

Gao averaged 5.6 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in seven matches after CBA restarted on June 20.

As for Liu, who reportedly asked for a leave, the Liaoning side revealed that he suffered a rib contusion that required rest for recovery.

Liu only scored eight points in five appearances after the league's resumption.

Liaoning currently sit seventh on the table with a win-loss record of 23-14.