Ex-Boston Celtics player Vonleh calls China team ‘worst’ ever, says still owed salary, bonus
- Noah Vonleh says Shanghai Sharks tried to make him play hurt and officials attempted to break into his hotel room while he was sleeping
NBA journeyman Noah Vonleh has opened up on his nightmare playing basketball in China, saying he had not been paid by Shanghai Sharks and revealing team officials tried to break into his hotel room during the league’s All-Star break.
The 28-year-old took to social media to blast the Chinese Basketball Association side and its officials for trying to rush him back from injury too soon, and wrongfully terminating his contract.
In a lengthy statement on Instagram, Vonleh said the Sharks were the “worst organisation” he had ever played for during his career. Neither the Sharks nor the CBA have responded to his comments.
“[The Sharks are] very unprofessional,” the former New York Knicks player wrote. “They still owe me my play-off bonus from the 2021-22 season. They also still owe me the remaining balance of my salary for the 2023-24 season.
“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 I’m OK to play. I sent my MRI results to doctors in the [United] States and they had different opinions and confirmed I wasn’t ready to return to play.”
Vonleh, who played with eight NBA teams across as many seasons in his career, said the Sharks terminated his contract in February, and sent warnings to the player’s Chinese agents accusing the 6ft 10 inch former first-round pick of missing team practices, only for security footage to prove that was untrue.
According to Vonleh, things came to a head during the CBA All-Star Weekend in Xiamen in March, with Sharks general manager Liu Junjun reportedly ordering people to try and break into the former Charlotte Hornet’s hotel room while he was sleeping.
