 | |
| No. 13 – Guangzhou Loong Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard /shooting guard |
| League | Chinese Basketball Association |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1993-11-14)November 14, 1993 (age 32) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2.5 in (1.89 m) |
| Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2015:undrafted |
| Playing career | 2010–present |
| Career history | |
| 2010–2024 | Liaoning Flying Leopards |
| 2024-present | Guangzhou Loong Lions |
| Career highlights | |
Guo Ailun (Chinese:郭艾伦;pinyin:Guō Àilún; born November 14, 1993) is a Chinese professionalbasketball player for theGuangzhou Loong Lions of theChinese Basketball Association and theChinese national team. He is the first Chinese basketball player to sign withJordan Brand. He is the nephew of former Chinese professional basketball playerGuo Shiqiang.
In July 2009, Guo attendedLeBron James' Skills Academy inAkron, Ohio, while already part of theLiaoning Hunters organisation, impressing some observers with his ball handling, dynamism and court vision.[1]
His international exploits over the 2010 summer (seebelow) pushed the league in creating a clause that allowed the then 17-year-old to play in theChinese Basketball Association (CBA) despite being underage.[2] He made his debut for Liaoning on December 12, 2010, againstQingdao DoubleStar with 10 points and 2 rebounds, finishing the season with averages of 10.3 points and 3.1 assists in 26 minutes per game.[3]By the end of his rookie season, he was selected for theCBA All-star Rookie Challenge, posting 28 points and 6 assists on his way to a game MVP title.[4]
Guo was a late addition to the April 2011Nike Hoop Summit inPortland, Oregon.[5] Struggling with communication (he reportedly spoke no English whatsoever) he impressed scouts in practice with his dedication and skill but had a quiet game against Team USA, going 1 for 5 from the field and committing two turnovers.[6]
The2011–12 CBA season ended with figures of 8.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2 rebounds in around 21 minutes per game for Guo as Liaoning again failed to make the playoffs.[3]For the second year running, he took part in the Rookie Challenge, leading all players with 30 points in addition to 6 assists on his way to a second game MVP award.[7]Also during the CBA All-Star Weekend, he won the Skills challenge after completing it in 32.7 seconds.[8]
He was reportedly offered a contract byGreek League giantsPanathinaikos over the 2012 summer. Though the player was said to be interested, his club and local sports administrators vetoed the putative move.[9]Liaoning were vindicated in their decision as he then enjoyed a breakthrough2012–13 CBA season, starting at point with 34 minutes per game on average as the team finished with its best record in several years and qualified for the playoffs.He scored a career-high 35 points in a December 7 regular season game against the Qingdao Eagles and then dished out a career-high 12 assists againstJiangsu Dragons a month later.Finishing the season with averages of 15.8 points, 4.2 assists and 2.7 rebounds, he equalled his earlier mark with 35 points in a losing effort to theXinjiang Flying Tigers in Game 5 of the playoffs first round as Liaoning exited.[3][10]Besides defending his skills challenge title with a 39-second time,[11] Guo was voted as a starter for the 2013 CBA All-star game.
Guo's2013–14 CBA season was severely hampered by a right-arm injury that restricted him to six games over the season.[citation needed]
He returned to form during the2014–15 CBA season, forming a destructive backcourt partnership withLester Hudson,[12] as Liaoning enjoyed one of their best-ever seasons with a second-place finish in the regular season before going on to reach thePlayoffs finals against theBeijing Ducks.The point guard had 14 points—including 10 in the fourth quarter—as Liaoning won game 3 to take a 2–1 lead in the best of seven series,[13] he later had 15 points in game 6 but could not prevent a loss that handed the title to Beijing.[14]Finishing the season with figures of 13.5 points, 5.6 assists and 2.5 steals in nearly 33 minutes per game,[3] he was among the season MVP candidates,[12] besides again being voted as a starter for the All-star game.[15]
Despite issues with Liaoning over contractual talks,[16] Guo continued on that good form for the2015–16 CBA season, he had a season-high 32 points as well as 10 assists, 6 rebounds and 4 steals to lead Liaoning to an avenging 108–96 win over Beijing in January 2016.[17] He had 26 points (on 91.7% shooting from two) in the team's 16th consecutive win during the penultimate round against theTianjin Gold Lions, thus guaranteeing the franchise a historic regular-season first place.[18]
Finishing the season with 15.5 points, 5.9 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 33 minutes per game,[3] he was second in votes for the season's domestic MVP, behind perennial MVPYi Jianlian.[19]Again voted as starter for the All-star game, he posted 28 points and 8 assists in the North's blowout 172–145 win.[20]
In game 3 of theplayoffs first round against theZhejiang Golden Bulls, he had 15 points and a game-high 11 assists to help the Flying Leopards to a 127–111 win and a series sweep.[21]Moving on to the semis against theGuangdong Southern Tigers, Guo had 20 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds in a 105–96 game 4 win that took Liaoning to the finals where they would face the unheraldedSichuan Blue Whales.[22]
After losing game 3 of the series away inChengdu on 16 March, Guo was heavily involved in a brawl opposing Sichuan fans with members of the Liaoning organisation.The confrontation started when the Blue Whales fans—who were waiting for their team at the hotel they shared with Liaoning—were provoked by someone in the Liaoning camp when the away team arrived before the home team.This sparked a scuffle between the fans and the Liaoning delegation, the players were not involved until the fathers of Guo and teammateHe Tianju were allegedly attacked, prompting Guo and some teammates to join the ruckus.[citation needed]
Guo, adamant that he only got involved to protect his father, was sent back toLiaoning along with He and another teammate to receive medical treatment the next day.They took a morning flight one day later. He was ruled out with an injury but Guo was neither injured nor suspended as had been feared by some.Taking part in game 4 the same day, he had a team-second 18 points and 6 assists, but the visibly rattled Flying Leopards lost the game to go 3–1 down in the series.[23]
He then had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 steals and a single assist in a combative performance during game 5 that proved in vain as Sichuan won 94–91 to keep the series and the championship in Chengdu.[24]
Liaoning eliminatedZhejiang with 4-0, which earned Liaoning the first CBA championship. In game 4, Guo played 35 minutes with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.[25]
Guo played 49 games for Liaoning with average 34 minutes, 23.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.9 steals.[26]
On June 24, Guo moved pastEugene Jeter for seventh on the all-time assisting list of CBA.[27]
Guo led the national representative side to the2009 FIBA Asia Under-16 Championship title as they won all their games to qualify for theUnder-17 World Championship.[28]In the July 2010 event inHamburg, Guo led all Under-17s with 22.4 points (to go with 5.5 assists and 4.9 rebounds).[29]
At 16, he was a surprise inclusion with the seniorChinese national team at the2010 FIBA World Championship, making him the youngest ever player to turn up for China.[4]He played only 23 minutes in two games during the tournament, scoring two free throws in addition to 2 rebounds and 2 assists against 4 turnovers.[30]In September of the same year, the youngster participated in a third tournament, namely the2010 FIBA Asia Under-18 Championship, where he made the All-tournament team as China took home the title.[31]
TheJunior National Team captain was said to have been the leader of a player revolt to oust coach Fan Bin because of his abusive style in April 2011.Thirteen players (including Guo) signed a letter demanding theChinese Basketball Association replace Fan, the CBA criticised both the coach—who they suspended—and the players for their public actions.[32]He next appeared at the May 2011Nike International Junior Tournament with the Under-19s' national team, posting 14.3 points and 3.7 assists whilst drawing 5 fouls per game,[33] on his way to an All-Tournament team selection.[34]In the same age group, Guo participated in theWorld Championship played inLatvia in June/July 2011, contributing team bests of 15 points and 2.8 assists per game over the tournament.[35]
He was cut from the senior side pegged to play in the2011 FIBA Asia Championship,[36] before disciplinary issues (such as tardiness and attitude problems during the U19 World Championship) led to him being handed a one-year suspension from the senior side.[37]
Recalled to the senior side in April 2012,[37] the 18-year-old was the youngest basketball player at the2012 Olympic Games where he was a peripheral figure, taking part in three out of the five Chinese losses for 3.3 points and 1 rebound on average.[28]
Guo—now entrenched into the senior national team fold—entered the2013 FIBA Asia Championship with high hopes, as did perennial title-favourite China.Both flattered to deceive, however; though Guo had respectable figures of 8.1 points and 2.3 assists per game, he disappeared along with teammates in important games.He had only 7 points (on 3–11 shooting) againstSouth Korea,Iran andChinese Taipei against all of whom China lost to finish fifth, the lowest-ever finish for a full-strength side at the tournament.[28]
He participated in the2014 Asian Games with China, scoring only 9 points in the quarterfinal round loss againstJapan (an opponent that had never beaten them in Asiad history) as China made an early exit.[38]
Eager to impress in the2015 FIBA Asia Championship played at home, Guo shone, contributing 10.9 points (on 54.8% shooting), 4 assists and 3.2 rebounds per outing in making the tournament's All-Star Five. He earned his first career silverware when China won the title to qualify for the2016 Olympics.[28]That was helped by his commanding display in the final against thePhilippines, outplaying his counterpart and fellow All-StarJayson Castro to lead his team in scoring 19 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.[39]
On May 10, 2017, he became the first Chinese-born player to be signed byJordan Brand Shoes.
In2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup, becoming the best Asian team would win the Chinese basketball national team a ticket for2020 Olympic game.[40] China national team was in the group A against Poland, Venezuela, and Ivory Coast. Guo was selected as a starting shooting guard and people had high expectations for his performances. Against Korea, Guo scored the team's highest 16 points, and his three-pointer at the last minute killed the game. Even so, Guo did not meet people's expectations. His biggest problem stems from the huge ups and downs of his performance. Against Poland, Guo only played 14 minutes because of too many fouls, and he only scored 6 points. Against Venezuela, Guo only got one point, and he was abandoned byLi Nan, the head coach, most of the time in the second half. At the end of the qualifying match against Nigeria, Guo had 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in 15 minutes.[41]
Guo was included inChina's squad for the2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification.[42]
Source:[26]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 | Liaoning | 31 | 12 | 26.0 | .426 | .291 | .707 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 1.0 | .0 | 10.3 |
| 2011–12 | Liaoning | 30 | 6 | 21.2 | .475 | .281 | .681 | 2.0 | 3.2 | 0.9 | .1 | 8.6 |
| 2012–13 | Liaoning | 32 | 25 | 33.7 | .511 | .368 | .620 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 1.8 | .0 | 15.8 |
| 2013–14 | Liaoning | 2 | 0 | 22.0 | .462 | .333 | .800 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | .5 | 8.5 |
| 2014–15 | Liaoning | 37 | 36 | 32.6 | .514 | .346 | .654 | 2.6 | 5.6 | 1.8 | .1 | 13.5 |
| 2015–16 | Liaoning | 36 | 32 | 33.4 | .488 | .407 | .743 | 3.3 | 6.2 | 1.8 | .1 | 15.4 |
| 2016–17 | Liaoning | 33 | 27 | 32.1 | .525 | .390 | .742 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 1.9 | .2 | 19.1 |
| 2017–18 | Liaoning | 36 | 27 | 30.9 | .455 | .335 | .731 | 4.0 | 4.1 | 1.2 | .2 | 16.5 |
| 2018–19 | Liaoning | 41 | 41 | 34.7 | .501 | .343 | .753 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 1.9 | .1 | 23.2 |
| 2019–20 | Liaoning | 35 | 32 | 33.3 | .510 | .311 | .757 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 1.5 | .1 | 20.3 |
| 2020–21 | Liaoning | 44 | 41 | 32.5 | .484 | .278 | .774 | 4.0 | 8.1 | 1.5 | .1 | 23.1 |
| Career | 357 | 279 | 30.9 | .492 | .338 | .733 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 1.5 | .1 | 17.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–13 | Liaoning | 5 | 5 | 39.0 | .514 | .500 | .563 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 1.6 | .0 | 18.4 |
| 2013–14 | Liaoning | 4 | 2 | 21.3 | .348 | .300 | .714 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 1.3 | .0 | 6.0 |
| 2014–15 | Liaoning | 12 | 12 | 36.7 | .452 | .355 | .722 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 2.0 | .2 | 14.2 |
| 2015–16 | Liaoning | 12 | 12 | 38.8 | .449 | .283 | .780 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 1.3 | .2 | 17.2 |
| 2016–17 | Liaoning | 8 | 8 | 36.9 | .507 | .395 | .750 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 2.8 | .0 | 23.3 |
| 2017–18 | Liaoning | 13 | 13 | 34.6 | .494 | .379 | .703 | 4.2 | 5.4 | 0.5 | .2 | 17.0 |
| 2018–19 | Liaoning | 8 | 8 | 36.8 | .475 | .346 | .721 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 2.1 | .1 | 25.1 |
| 2019–20 | Liaoning | 6 | 6 | 33.7 | .531 | .417 | .806 | 3.8 | 5.5 | 1.8 | .0 | 23.8 |
| Career | 68 | 66 | 35.7 | .481 | .361 | .736 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 1.6 | .1 | 18.3 | |
Source:[43]
| Date | Team | Against | Minutes played | FG% | 3P% | FT% | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Efficiency | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08/31/2019 | China | Cote d’Ivoire | 33 | .500 | .000 | .500 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 0 | +21 | 17 |
| 09/02/2019 | China | Poland | 14 | .333 | .500 | .500 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 6 |
| 09/04/2019 | China | Venezuela | 19 | .000 | .000 | .500 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -8 | 1 |
| 09/06/2019 | China | Korea | 26 | .438 | .400 | .000 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | +15 | 16 |
| 09/08/2019 | China | Nigeria | 15 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Average | 21.3 | .340 | .188 | .625 | 1.4 | 3.8 | 1.2 | 0 | +6.4 | 8.4 |
| Year awarded | Awarded content |
|---|---|
| 2019 | China Forbes elite under 30[44] |
| 2014 | CBA 2012-2013 season best point guard |
| 2013 | CBA All Star Skills Challenge champion |
| 2013 | CBA 2012-2013 the most improved player |
| 2012 | CBA All Star Skills Challenge champion |
| 2012 | CBA All Star Rookie Challenge MVP |
| 2011 | CBA All Star Rookie Challenge MVP |
| 2010 | U18 Asian Youth Championship MVP |
His uncle is formerLiaoning Hunters and Chinese national playerGuo Shiqiang; coincidentally, he is also Ailun's coach at Liaoning and with the Chinese national team (the latter as an assistant).[45]
Guo is a graduate of Liaoning'sNortheastern University.[46]
| Year | English title | Original title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Dunk of China | 这！就是灌篮 | Team leader | season 1 |
| 2019 | Keep Running | 奔跑吧 | Guest star | season 7 |
| 2020 | Amazing Dinner | 未知的餐桌 | Guest star | episode 1 |
| 2020 | Dunk of China | 这！就是灌篮 | Team leader | season 3 |
| 2021 | Roast[47] | 吐槽大会 | Guest star | season 5 episode 7 |
