[1] Some of the team's home games are also held in the nearby city of Linyi.

In its early years, the team was known as the Shandong Flaming Bulls (山东火牛), but was renamed the Shandong Lions at the start of the 2003–04 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.

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.

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events.