Eric Bledsoe Signs With Previously Disqualified Team Overseas

After he was waived in the summer of 2022 by the Portland Trail Blazers, it was expected that 12-year veteran guard Eric Bledsoe would get some offers in free agency. It didn't happen, and he chose to sign with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.

Now, despite the team finishing last season being disqualified from the playoffs over a match-fixing scandal, Bledsoe has decided to re-up with the Sharks, and has signed once again with the team. 

Eric Bledsoe returns to the Shanghai Sharks https://t.co/XJaY0M2rz7

— Sportando (@Sportando) November 4, 2023

Bledsoe was ironically serving a 4-game suspension during the controversial playoff games in question, and so has distanced himself from the game-fixing scandal. With Shangai last season, Bledsoe averaged 17.6 points, 6.1 assists and 5.8 rebounds in 29 games. 

In his 756-game NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans, the bulky guard known for his perimeter defense averaged 13.7 points, 3.9 boards and 4.7 assists. His final year, however, in LA, he saw his numbers drop 9.9 points and his shot attempts and minutes fall to a nine-year low. 

Photo: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports