The Guangdong Southern Tigers and the Shandong Heroes got off to a flying start in their star players' return from injuries as the 2021-22 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season kicked off on Saturday.

Guangdong center Yi Jianlian, who missed the entire 2020-21 season after rupturing his Achilles tendon, scored 16 points in less than eight minutes of action in his first regular-season match in 427 days.

After receiving their champion rings and seeing their championship flag hoisted, and despite the absence of their familiar foreign faces of Sonny Weem and Marshon Brooks, Guangdong closed out a 106-83 win against the Shenzhen Aviators in the season opener.

Yi made all of his first four baskets, scoring 14 points in the first quarter to fuel Guangdong to a 34-28 quarter lead. He added another layup early in the second quarter and sat out after halftime, where Guangdong led 57-44 on Zhao Rui's buzzer-beating layup.

Guangdong displayed their depth from there, outscoring Shenzhen 33-18 in the third quarter. Shenzhen point guard Askia Booker struggled on the offensive end with only eight points. Guangdong encountered little resistance from their opponents during the second half, and entered the fourth quarter 90-62, making it a routine job to bag home the win.

Xu Jie led five Guangdong players in double figures with 18 points. Zhao scored 15 points and dished out nine assists. On the Shenzhen side, Lu Pengyu had a team-leading 16 points.

In his first CBA game in more than three years, two-time MVP winner Ding Yanyuhang scored 19 points in 24 minutes and 48 seconds, powering the Shandong Heroes to a 105-93 victory over the Beijing Royal Fighters.

"Through countless expectations and waiting over the past three and a half years, I stood on this familiar court again...I hope to do better and live up to your expectations," Ding wrote on social platforms after the game.

Shandong head coach Xu Changsuo offered his encouragement to Ding, who was plagued by his knee injury for years.

"I think Ding and other players can build seamless connection as they were teammates before. We hope he can regain confidence game by game. He got the shooting touch but kind of lacked physical competitiveness on the court, so we need to encourage him," commented Xu.

Ding's return gave Shandong their desired triple offensive threat along with center Tao Hanlin and guard Gao Shiyan. Tao finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds, and Gao added 22 points, seven assists and five steals.

Ding came off the bench at the 5:32 mark of the first quarter and made his first basket on a three-pointer three minutes later. The 28-year-old buried three shots beyond the arc, including a buzzer-beater, registering 11 points in the first quarter as Shandong raced to a 31-20 lead at the conclusion of the quarter.

Tao took over the game in the second period by converting consecutive baskets down the stretch, and his dunk extended Shandong's advantage to 20 points.

After Liao Sanning trimmed the deficit to 13 points midway through the third quarter, Ding responded with a three-pointer to help Shandong hold firm.

Despite Beijing's comeback on several occasions afterward, Shandong substitutes could provide enough firepower to secure their victory.

Five Beijing players scored in double figures. Liao contributed 25 points, five boards and five assists while suffering eight turnovers in his CBA debut. His performance could give Beijing a glimpse of hope on their backcourt following the retirement of 35-year-old Sun Yue on Saturday. Zhang Fan nailed 24 points.

Also on Saturday, Jiang Yuxing scored 27 points as the Jilin Northeast Tigers went past the Nanjing Monkey Kings 91-79. The Qingdao Eagles beat the Sichuan Blue Whales 100-93. 

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