Players and staff of the Zhejiang Lions celebrate with the trophy after defeating the Beijing Ducks in Game 6 of the 2024–2025 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals in Beijing on May 20, 2025. [Photo/Li Xiang for Tide News]

After defeating the Beijing Ducks 125-118 in Game 6 to win the best-of-seven finals 4-2 on Tuesday, the Zhejiang Lions claimed their first-ever Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) title in the club's 20-year history.

At the Capital Indoor Stadium, Beijing came back home after a thrilling victory in Game 5 and tried to force the series to tie-breaker. The home team started the game with high intensity of defense with neck-to-neck contention.

In a collision for rebound, Zhejiang's star Hu Jinqiu, the Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the 2024-2025 CBA regular season, fell down and even vomited on the court. As Hu left for the locker room, Beijing took an upper hand to finish the first quarter 36-29.

Before Hu returned to the game in the second quarter, James Nunnally of Zhejiang stood out from the bench to provide extra energy in addition to his teammate Barry Brown, helping the away team lead 69-57 ahead of the halftime.

Zhou Qi of Beijing led the team to bounce back in the second half with strong determination and persistent efforts to fight for each opportunity. Beijing once tied the game 108-108, and Zhou hit two free throws for a two-point advantage in the final quarter.

In the clutch time, Brown, Lin Bing Sheng, and Zhu Junlong of the Lions nailed three-pointers successively to put Zhejiang in a comfortable situation. Lin and Zhu made all four free throws in the last minute to seal the historical title.

Brown, who earned the Finals Most Valuable Player (FMVP) award, pocketed 41 points, five rebounds, and nine assists in Game 6. Seven players of Zhejiang scored in double digits, as Hu contributed 17 points despite the discomfort.

"I want to thank all my players for their great efforts. There were ups and downs throughout the season, but we managed to get mature in this process," Zhejiang head coach Wang Bo said after the game. "We were eager to win the title at home in Game 5 and didn't adjust our mentality properly. Today, we trust ourselves all the time to clinch the victory with solidarity."

"The journey towards the champion is always not easy. We know our fans have high expectation on us. We handled the pressure and finally made the history," noted the 25-year-old Zhu.

For the home side, Zhou scored a team-high 31 points and 10 rebounds, while his teammate Eugene German had 25 points and 13 assists.

Beijing head coach Xu Limin congratulated Zhejiang for the victory and said after the game, "The Lions delivered an excellent performance, and I also felt proud of my players. Our team suffered from injuries and difficulties this season, but we also accumulated much experience. I believe we will maintain the momentum and claim the title eventually."