Former NBA player Noah Vonleh recently opened up about his harrowing experiences while playing for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). His revelations have shed light on the darker side of professional basketball overseas, raising concerns about player treatment and contractual obligations.
Vonleh, who was drafted ninth overall in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, had a promising career in the NBA before moving overseas. However, his second stint with the Shanghai Sharks during the 2023-24 season turned out to be anything but smooth. In a series of Instagram posts, Vonleh detailed a series of alarming incidents that he faced while with the team.
One of the primary issues Vonleh highlighted was the team’s failure to honor financial commitments. He claimed that the Sharks still owed him his playoff bonus from the 2021-2022 season and the remaining balance for his 2023-2024 season. This financial dispute was just the beginning of his troubles.
Vonleh recounted a particularly frightening incident where six individuals attempted to break into his hotel room, using weapons and threatening him. This incident occurred after he attended the CBA’s All-Star Game in March. The general manager allegedly instructed the hotel to send people to force him out of his room, leading to a terrifying confrontation.
Adding to the distress, Vonleh accused the Sharks of trying to rush him back from an injury. He claimed that team doctors, as well as external doctors, were instructed to lie about his fitness to play. Despite sending his MRI results to doctors in the United States, who confirmed he wasn’t ready to return, the team continued to pressure him.
The situation escalated when the Sharks attempted to terminate Vonleh’s fully guaranteed contract on February 26, 2024. Despite his efforts to fight for his earnings, the team voided his contract, citing reasons that Vonleh disputed. He maintained that he was present at all practices and games, as required by his contract.
“Smh it was a crazy year playing in China! Shanghai Sharks by far worst organization l’ve ever been a part of…Very unprofessional. They still owe me my playoff bonus from 21/22 season. They also still owe me the remaining balance of my salary for the 23/24 season.
I was dealing with an injury during the season and it was taking longer than expected for me return. The Sharks tried to rush me back many times and told team doctors and doctors outside of the team to lie to me and tell me l’m ok to play. I sent my MRI results to doctors in the states and they had different opinions and confirmed I wasn’t ready to return to play. Because the injury was taking too long the Sharks were trying to find ways to terminate my contract on a fully guaranteed deal. They wrongfully terminated the contract on February 26th, 2024.
They started off sending out warnings to my Chinese agents saying I wasnt showing up to practice. Chinese agents never responded to any of the warnings when I told them to. After the third warning the Sharks sent the agents a termination notice. The Sharks called board members from the CBA office to come in and investigate to see if their claims to terminate were valid. The league saw based off of security footage they were wrong and should of never terminated the contract. I was present at practice everyday.
After my contract was wrongfully terminated, CBA All Star weekend was a couple days away. I decided it was a good idea to go. The general manager of the Sharks was informed I was gonna be attending and was nervous and scared of what could happen. He called for a meeting at the All Star Hotel to try and get me back to the team, but the terms he presented were not in my best interest. He wanted to fly back to Shanghai together and go back with this Kumbaya story like everything was all good but I wasn’t with it.
In March the third and final stage of the season begins. I’m asking for meetings with the team to figure out how to get my remaining salary since I’m on a fully guaranteed deal and they no longer want me on team. I want all my money since I’m on a fully guaranteed contract, but know based off my previous experience they’re gonna be on some BS and not give everything so I decide l’ll take a bit less. They declined the requests for meetings and always have excuses for why. I told them many times I want to handle it peacefully and we can go our separate ways but they didn’t want to. I goto a couple games and the fans and everyone is wondering what is going on because they don’t want to release a statement on the situation after the league told them they have no right to do what they are trying to do such as terminating the contract and issuing unnecessary fines.
I get back to the hotel after attending one of the games. Now the General manager wants to have my room canceled. The general manager tells the hotel to send people to my room to force me out of there. There’s six people coming to my room trying to break in and grab me out the room. “They using weapons to try and break in and threatening me saying all kind of things.
This what they was using to enter while was sleep. Put this thru the peep hole… snatched it when I heard the noise at the door”
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