In its early years, the team was known as the Shandong Flaming Bulls (), but was renamed the Shandong Lions at the start of the
2003–04 CBA season. At the same time, the club moved its homecourt from
Jinan to
Yantai (six games) and
Dongying (five games). For the
2004–05 CBA season, they relocated to
Tai'an, but have been back in Jinan since the
2005–06 CBA season. During the 2004–05 CBA season, the freshly-rebranded Shandong Gold Lions finished in sixth place in the CBA North Division, and out of the
playoffs. In the 2005–06 season, the team finished fifth, yet again out of the playoffs. The club's most successful campaign so far has been the
2012–13 CBA season, when it advanced to the CBA Finals, but got swept in the best-of-seven championship series in just four games by the
Guangdong Southern Tigers. ==Players==