'Beyond the game'

"As the first major national sports league to restart in China, the CBA has a far-reaching significance for promoting work resumption and restoring our everyday life. Its social impact has gone beyond the game itself," Yao said in a statement ahead of the first game.

The restart, which was overseen by the country's top respiratory experts, sees the 20 league clubs divided into two groups, based in Qingdao and Dongguan, Guangdong province, respectively. They will finish the remainder of the regular season over the next month behind closed doors before the top 12 teams contest a shortened postseason, which will feature one-off knockout games in the first two rounds.

With spectators not allowed to attend as part of the strict infection control and prevention measures, team jerseys and mascots occupied seats in both arenas, while videos showing fans cheering and audio recordings simulating crowd reactions were played.

The absence of their home-court crowds didn't take much of the energy off the court, according to players.

"I don't think it (the empty arena) had too much influence on us," young forward Li Hongpeng of the Monkey Kings said.

"We still heard the fans chanting (from the loud speaker) and we had a great setting at the stadium with all the mascots and posters on display. It was enough to energize us on the court."

As the world's first major pro basketball league to resume action amid the pandemic, some of the CBA's high-profile foreign players, who managed to return China before the country imposed a temporary foreign entry ban on March 28 to contain imported infections, are relishing the opportunity to hoop again.

"The most important thing is we can play again," said Beijing Ducks' American guard Jeremy Lin. "I'm grateful for the CBA's efforts to give us a chance to play again."