question: How many seasons did a former Shanghai Sharks basketball player spend in the NBA?
answer: nine seasons
context: Title: Garret Siler
  Passage: Garret Andrew Siler (born October 25, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who for Marinos de Anzoátegui of the Venezuelan Liga Profesional de Baloncesto (LPB).  He formerly played center for Augusta State University (now Augusta University).  When he went undrafted in the 2009 NBA Draft, he first signed with the D-League's Utah Flash and then the Chinese Basketball Association's Shanghai Sharks.  During his one year with the Sharks, he averaged 14.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game on 74 percent shooting from the field.
  Title: Michael Holton
  Passage: Michael David "Mike" Holton (born August 4, 1961) is a retired American professional basketball player, and current television studio analyst for the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA.  Born in Seattle, Washington, he played college basketball at UCLA from 1979 to 1983, and was selected in the third round of the 1983 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, but began his NBA career with the Phoenix Suns in 1984–85.  Holton, a 6'4" 185 lb guard, also spent his career with the Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, and Charlotte Hornets.  He also played in the CBA for four different teams in as many seasons from 1983 to 1992.  He started 60 games for the expansion Charlotte Hornets.  Holton briefly played for Great Taste Coffee in the Philippine Basketball Association.
  Title: Zhang Zhaoxu
  Passage: Zhang Zhaoxu () or Max Zhang (born November 18, 1987) is a Chinese basketball player.  He currently plays for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association, having arrived from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010.  He is also a member of the Chinese national basketball team.
  Title: Jimmer Fredette
  Passage: James Taft "Jimmer" Fredette (born February 25, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).  Fredette was the 2011 National Player of the Year in college basketball, ranking as the leading scorer in all of NCAA Division I during his senior season for the BYU Cougars.  He was subsequently selected with the tenth overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft, but only played limited minutes across four different teams over five NBA seasons.  He spent the majority of the 2015–16 season in the NBA Development League, during which he won the All-Star Game MVP.  In 2016, he joined the CBA's Shanghai Sharks, and during the 2016–17 CBA season, he led the league in scoring, at 37.6 points per game, counting all phases of the season, and won the CBA Import-MVP award.
  Title: 2010–11 Houston Rockets season
  Passage: The 2010–11 Houston Rockets season was the 44th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the 40th based in Houston.  This season was Yao Ming's last in the NBA as he played only 5 games because of recurring injuries that interrupted his career.  Despite his injuries, he was selected to play in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game as a starter, but he was unable to participate.  Yao would then retire during the 2011 NBA lockout after playing only nine seasons in the NBA.
  Title: Hai Rui (basketball)
  Passage: Hai Rui (海瑞; born October 1985), is a professional basketball player from China.  Hai is a forward and is currently on the roster of the Shanghai Sharks.
  Title: Yao Ming
  Passage: Yao Ming (; born September 12, 1980) is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA).  He was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times.  At the time of his final season, he was the tallest active player in the NBA, at 2.29 m .  He is the only player outside of the United States to lead the NBA in All-Star voting.
  Title: Delonte West
  Passage: Delonte Maurice West (born July 26, 1983) is an American professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dallas Mavericks.  He also played professionally for the Fujian Xunxing and Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.  Prior to playing professionally, West played college basketball for Saint Joseph's University.
  Title: Jia Xiaozhong
  Passage: Jia Xiaozhong (贾孝忠), born March 1980, is a professional basketball player from China.  He is a center and is currently on the roster of the Shanghai Sharks.
  Title: Nick Minnerath
  Passage: Nicolas Lake Scott "Nick" Minnerath (born August 11, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).  He played college basketball for Jackson College and the University of Detroit Mercy.
citations: Yao Ming 2010–11 Houston Rockets season