Yi Jianlian
Encyclopedia
Yi Jianlian is a Chinese
professional basketball
player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers
. He has also played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks
, New Jersey Nets
, and Washington Wizards
. Yi played power forward
for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association
(CBA) in 2002 and subsequently won the Rookie of the Year Award. In five years with the Tigers, he won three CBA titles, as well as playing with the Chinese national basketball team
in the 2004 Summer Olympics
and the 2006 FIBA World Championship
s. In the 2007 NBA Draft
, he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the sixth overall pick. Initially, Yi declined to sign with the Bucks for several months before agreeing to a contract with them on August 29, 2007.
There has been controversy over Yi's age, as several reports have testified that his officially listed birth date of October 27, 1987, was intentionally falsified so he would be able to play longer in junior competitions. Yi has refused to comment on his age.
players. As a child, his parents initially did not want him to join a sports school, which is designed for children who are predicted to be future stars. However, after a sports school basketball coach noticed Yi playing streetball
, he persuaded Yi's family to allow Yi to train professionally.
Hoping to sign Yi to an endorsement deal, Adidas
invited him to attend the company's ABCD camp in Teaneck, New Jersey
in 2002, where he competed against All-American high school players. After returning to China later that year, he joined the senior team of the Guangdong Southern Tigers and averaged 3.5 points and 1.9 rebounds
in his rookie season. He also averaged 7.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in four games in the CBA Finals and won the Rookie of the Year award. In 2003, Yi was featured in TIME magazine
's August 24, 2003 article titled "The Next Yao Ming
". In each of his next three seasons, Yi led Guangdong to the CBA championship, and he was awarded the Finals Most Valuable Player
(MVP) honor in 2006. In Yi's last season in the CBA, he averaged a career best 24.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, but the Tigers lost to the Bayi Rockets
in the 2007 CBA
finals. He also studied at the School of Economics and Management at Guangdong University of Technology
.
For the 2011-2012 season, Yi Jianlian signed a one year contract to return to Guangdong Southern Tigers
. He will have an option to return to the NBA once the lockout
has been resolved.
, although he eventually decided to withdraw, saying he was "not good enough to compete in the NBA and needed more experience". A year later, on November 1, 2006, the Tigers announced that Yi would enter the 2007 NBA Draft
.
Yi chose NBA agent Dan Fegan
to represent him in the NBA Draft and flew to Los Angeles
to participate in pre-NBA Draft camps. Before the draft, Yi was predicted to be picked anywhere from third to twelfth. On June 28, 2007, Yi was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, despite Fegan warning the Bucks not to pick Yi and not allowing Milwaukee to be one of the teams invited to Yi's pre-draft private workouts in Los Angeles. He did not want Milwaukee to select Yi because they did not have a large Asian-American community. However, general manager Larry Harris
said they had only drafted the best player available to them.
Footage of Yi posting up against a chair instead of another basketball player was shown during the Draft telecast, which earned him the nickname "The Chairman", coined by ESPN writer Bill Simmons.
After the draft, the Bucks attempted to convince Yi to sign with the team. On July 2, the owner of the Bucks franchise, Senator Herb Kohl
, wrote a letter to Yi and his representatives, hoping to persuade Yi to sign with the Bucks. Three days later, Harris and head coach Larry Krystkowiak
met Yi in Las Vegas
, desiring to influence Yi to play for Milwaukee; however, Yi's representatives requested that the team trade Yi to another city with a large Chinese presence. Chinese officials also required that any team Yi played with would have to give him sufficient playing time for him to improve before the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
Kohl made a special trip to Hong Kong
to appeal to Yi personally. He also assured Chinese officials that Yi would have sufficient playing time, and on August 29, 2007, the Milwaukee Bucks and Yi agreed to a standard, multi-year rookie contract.
to begin the 2007–08 NBA season, Yi had nine points and three rebounds in a loss to Orlando
in his NBA debut. He played his first home game in Milwaukee three days later and scored 16 points while grabbing eight boards in a 78–72 win against the Chicago Bulls
. The game was also Yi's first game to be televised nationally in China, where it was watched by 100 million viewers. Yao Ming
praised Yi's play in his first games, saying, "If you compare us in our third NBA games, you will see that Yi's statistics are far better than mine".
On November 9, Yi played against Yao for the first time when the Houston Rockets
hosted Milwaukee in the Toyota Center
. Yi had 19 points and nine rebounds, including two three-pointers
, but the Rockets topped the Bucks 104–88, with Yao scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The game was also watched by over 200 million people in China, making it one of the most-watched games in NBA history. After the game, Yao called Yi's talent "unbelievable", and Tracy McGrady
said that Yi had "A tremendous upside in this league". Del Harris
, the coach of the China's 2004 Olympics basketball team, also described Yi as "the most athletic 7-footer in the NBA".
Yi was named the Rookie of the Month for December after averaging 12.1 points and 6.6 rebound per game in that month, and scoring a career-high 29 points on 14-of-17 shooting
in the game against the Bobcats on December 22, 2007. On January 30, he was selected for the rookie team in the Rookie Challenge
at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. On February 2, 2008, Yi faced Yao for the second time when the Bucks played the Rockets in Milwaukee, which Krystkowiak dubbed it the "Chinese Super Bowl". However, both players struggled during the Rockets' 91–83 victory. Yao had 12 points, and Yi injured his shoulder during the game, finishing the game with 6 points and scoring on one of his ten field goal
attempts.
On April 2, it was announced that Yi would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Having already missed eight games with other injuries, Yi played in only 66 (out of a possible 82) games in his rookie season, averaging 8.6 points on 42% shooting and 5.2 rebounds per game. One of Milwaukee's assistant coaches, Brian James
, later said that "the injuries he had bothered him more than people realized, and he couldn't play through them."
to the New Jersey Nets
for Richard Jefferson
. The Nets team president Rod Thorn said that "we feel strongly he's going to be a real good player", and the team's chief executive Brett Yormark said "it opens up a truly new fan base for us." Yi said he didn't expect to be traded, but that it was "an honor to join the Nets."
Through his first 37 games with New Jersey, Yi averaged 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 39% from behind the three-point line, which was well above his average from the previous season. But on January 9, 2009, Yi broke the little finger
on his right hand, and was expected to miss four to six weeks. Thorn called it "lousy timing" because "he'd been playing well", but Yi said "(I'll) just take my time. I'll come back." In voting for the 2009 All-Star Game
, Yi finished third in total votes for Eastern Conference forwards, ahead of players such as Paul Pierce
and Chris Bosh
, which raised allegations of Chinese fans voting for Yi only because of his nationality.
Yi made his return from injury after the All-Star Game
, in a loss to the Rockets on February 17. However, after averaging only 6 points on 36% shooting after his return, Yi was removed from the starting lineup
. His final averages for the season were 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, as well as a 38% shooting percentage from the field, and 34% on three-point field goals. After the Nets finished the season outside of the 2009 playoffs
, Yi's agent Fegan suggested the Nets played better when Yi played more minutes and took more shots, and said it "begs the question...who's accountable?" Head coach Lawrence Frank
said that "you have to be patient. He's only 21," and Yi assessed his season by saying he was "still too much up and down".
In the , Yi returned to the starting lineup. Starting in every game he played but one, Yi had several injuries during the season, which made him miss 30 games. He sprained his right MCL
on November 4 (missed 16 games), had a laceration on his upper lip on December 8 (missed 8 games), and sprained his left ankle on March 8 (missed 6 games). His final averages for the season were 12 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, as well as a 40% shooting percentage from the field, and 37% on three-point field goals.
along with $3 million in cash considerations for Quinton Ross
. The Wizards had until June 30, 2011 to extend the qualifying offer to Yi but did not. As a result, Yi is currently an unrestricted free agent.
and averaged 6 points and 6 rebounds a game at the 2006 FIBA World Championship
s. His performance impressed coaches on the Chinese national team as well as the coaches from other countries.
In 2008, Yi was once again selected to play for the national team in the Beijing Olympic Games
. In China's first two groups games, Yi scored only 9 and 4 points respectively, and China lost both their games against the USA and Spain. But in a win against Angola, he recorded a double-double, and in the Chinese's second win against Germany, Yi had 9 points and 11 rebounds, and hit the crucial shot with 28 seconds left, to help China advance to the quarterfinals. However, Lithuania ended China's run by beating them 94–68, as Yi scored 11 points.
Yi Jianlian, along with former NBA player Sun Yue, was a member of the Chinese National Team that played at the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship
and 2011 FIBA Asia Championship
.
he was 24 in an exhibition game before the 2006 FIBA World Championship
, although the story was refuted by both Yi and Battier. Yi is not the first Chinese player to come under scrutiny, as former NBA player Wang Zhizhi
has been listed as being born in both 1977 and 1979.
In 2006, a senior CBA official admitted that past youth squads had included players above the permitted age, and Yi's longtime American teammate in China, Jason Dixon, said to Chad Ford
that Yi was "21 or 22...It's pretty common over [in China] to change ages". In 2007, a Chinese government registration site made public by hackers
showed Yi's date of birth as being in 1984, and in December 2008, a Chinese reporter discovered school registration forms that listed Yi as being born in 1984.
and his native tongue of Cantonese
. Although his English has improved in the United States, Yi still conducts interviews through his interpreter, Walter Ho. He is currently under contract with Coca Cola and Yili (a Chinese dairy company) to endorse their products in China, and after a bidding war with Adidas
, Nike
signed Yi to a six-figure endorsement deal. He was ranked fourth on Forbes
' Chinese celebrities list
in income and popularity in 2007. In 2008, Yi donated 100,000 yuan to support the Sichuan earthquake
victims, and also participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
by carrying the torch during the Hainan
leg of the relay.
| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Milwaukee
| 66 || 49 || 25.0 || .421 || .286 || .841 || 5.2 || .8 || .6 || .9 || 8.6
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
| align="left" | New Jersey
| 61 || 52 || 23.3 || .382 || .343 || .772 || 5.3 || 1.0 || .5 || .6 || 8.6
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
| align="left" | New Jersey
| 52 || 51 || 31.8 || .403 || .366 || .798 || 7.2 || .9 || .7 || 1.0 || 12.0
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | Washington
| 63 || 11 || 17.7 || .418 || .231 || .681 || 3.9 || .4 || .4 || .5 || 5.6
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 242 || 163 || 24.1 || .405 || .335 || .784 || 5.3 || .8 || .5 || .7 || 8.5
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
professional basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers
Guangdong Southern Tigers
Guangdong Winnerway Southern Tigers or Guangdong Southern Tigers or Guangdong Winnerway is a basketball team owned by the Guangdong Winnerway Group. The team is one of the best-performing teams in the Chinese Basketball Association, or CBA...
. He has also played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
, New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
, and Washington Wizards
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
. Yi played power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
(CBA) in 2002 and subsequently won the Rookie of the Year Award. In five years with the Tigers, he won three CBA titles, as well as playing with the Chinese national basketball team
China national basketball team
The Chinese men's national basketball team is the basketball team representing China in international competitions. The governing body of Chinese basketball operations is the Basketball Association of China...
in the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and the 2006 FIBA World Championship
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
s. In the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
, he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks as the sixth overall pick. Initially, Yi declined to sign with the Bucks for several months before agreeing to a contract with them on August 29, 2007.
There has been controversy over Yi's age, as several reports have testified that his officially listed birth date of October 27, 1987, was intentionally falsified so he would be able to play longer in junior competitions. Yi has refused to comment on his age.
Career in China
Yi was born to father Yi Jingliu and mother Mai Meiling, who were both professional handballTeam handball
Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
players. As a child, his parents initially did not want him to join a sports school, which is designed for children who are predicted to be future stars. However, after a sports school basketball coach noticed Yi playing streetball
Streetball
Streetball or street basketball is a variation of the sport of basketball, typically played on outdoor courts and featuring significantly less by way of formal structure and enforcement of the game's rules...
, he persuaded Yi's family to allow Yi to train professionally.
Hoping to sign Yi to an endorsement deal, Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
invited him to attend the company's ABCD camp in Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck, New Jersey
Teaneck is a township in Bergen County, New Jersey, and a suburb in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township population was 39,776, making it the second-most populous among the 70 municipalities in Bergen County....
in 2002, where he competed against All-American high school players. After returning to China later that year, he joined the senior team of the Guangdong Southern Tigers and averaged 3.5 points and 1.9 rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
in his rookie season. He also averaged 7.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in four games in the CBA Finals and won the Rookie of the Year award. In 2003, Yi was featured in TIME magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
's August 24, 2003 article titled "The Next Yao Ming
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...
". In each of his next three seasons, Yi led Guangdong to the CBA championship, and he was awarded the Finals Most Valuable Player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...
(MVP) honor in 2006. In Yi's last season in the CBA, he averaged a career best 24.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, but the Tigers lost to the Bayi Rockets
Bayi Rockets
Bayi Shuanglu Rockets or Bayi Rockets or Bayi Army Rockets or Bayi Shuanglu are a basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Ningbo, Zhejiang...
in the 2007 CBA
CBA 2006-07
The 2006-2007 CBA Season was the 12th CBA season. The Guangdong Southern Tigers were the defending champions, but were upset by the Bayi Rockets in the finals. The North and South conferences were merged before the season started, and all the teams in the same standings...
finals. He also studied at the School of Economics and Management at Guangdong University of Technology
Guangdong University of Technology
Guangdong University of Technology is a key provincial university in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. The university offers a wide range of courses in engineering, science, technology, management, liberal arts and law, with major emphasis on the study of engineering.- History :Guangdong University of...
.
For the 2011-2012 season, Yi Jianlian signed a one year contract to return to Guangdong Southern Tigers
Guangdong Southern Tigers
Guangdong Winnerway Southern Tigers or Guangdong Southern Tigers or Guangdong Winnerway is a basketball team owned by the Guangdong Winnerway Group. The team is one of the best-performing teams in the Chinese Basketball Association, or CBA...
. He will have an option to return to the NBA once the lockout
2011 NBA lockout
The 2011 NBA lockout is the fourth lockout in the history of the National Basketball Association . The owners began the work stoppage at 12:01 am EDT on July 1, 2011. The main issues dividing the owners and the players are revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap...
has been resolved.
Entering the NBA
Yi was not expected to enter the NBA Draft until 2009 because the Chinese Basketball Association ruled that players would not be allowed to leave until they turned 22. In early 2006, however, Yi announced that he would enter the 2006 NBA Draft2006 NBA Draft
The 2006 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2006 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players,...
, although he eventually decided to withdraw, saying he was "not good enough to compete in the NBA and needed more experience". A year later, on November 1, 2006, the Tigers announced that Yi would enter the 2007 NBA Draft
2007 NBA Draft
The 2007 NBA Draft was held on June 28, 2007 at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. It was broadcast on television in 115 countries. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur U.S...
.
Yi chose NBA agent Dan Fegan
Dan Fegan
Dan Fegan is a prominent NBA agent. He is a graduate of Yale Law School and operates out of a Los Angeles law firm. His first client was Chris Dudley, a friend from Yale.-References:* Abbott, Henry . Accessed October 2011....
to represent him in the NBA Draft and flew to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to participate in pre-NBA Draft camps. Before the draft, Yi was predicted to be picked anywhere from third to twelfth. On June 28, 2007, Yi was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, despite Fegan warning the Bucks not to pick Yi and not allowing Milwaukee to be one of the teams invited to Yi's pre-draft private workouts in Los Angeles. He did not want Milwaukee to select Yi because they did not have a large Asian-American community. However, general manager Larry Harris
Larry Harris
Larry Harris served as the General Manager of the Milwaukee Bucks from 2003 until March 19, 2008. He is currently an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors.Harris is the son of former National Basketball Association coach Del Harris...
said they had only drafted the best player available to them.
Footage of Yi posting up against a chair instead of another basketball player was shown during the Draft telecast, which earned him the nickname "The Chairman", coined by ESPN writer Bill Simmons.
After the draft, the Bucks attempted to convince Yi to sign with the team. On July 2, the owner of the Bucks franchise, Senator Herb Kohl
Herb Kohl
Herbert H. "Herb" Kohl is the senior U.S. Senator from Wisconsin and a member of the Democratic Party. He is also a philanthropist and the owner of the Milwaukee Bucks National Basketball Association team...
, wrote a letter to Yi and his representatives, hoping to persuade Yi to sign with the Bucks. Three days later, Harris and head coach Larry Krystkowiak
Larry Krystkowiak
Larry Brett Krystkowiak is a retired American professional basketball player, and current head coach of the Utah Utes men's basketball team. His nicknames include Krysko and Special K...
met Yi in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, desiring to influence Yi to play for Milwaukee; however, Yi's representatives requested that the team trade Yi to another city with a large Chinese presence. Chinese officials also required that any team Yi played with would have to give him sufficient playing time for him to improve before the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
Kohl made a special trip to Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to appeal to Yi personally. He also assured Chinese officials that Yi would have sufficient playing time, and on August 29, 2007, the Milwaukee Bucks and Yi agreed to a standard, multi-year rookie contract.
Rookie season
After being named to the Bucks' starting lineup by Krystkowiak in place of Charlie VillanuevaCharlie Villanueva
Charlie Alexander Villanueva is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association....
to begin the 2007–08 NBA season, Yi had nine points and three rebounds in a loss to Orlando
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
in his NBA debut. He played his first home game in Milwaukee three days later and scored 16 points while grabbing eight boards in a 78–72 win against the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
. The game was also Yi's first game to be televised nationally in China, where it was watched by 100 million viewers. Yao Ming
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association...
praised Yi's play in his first games, saying, "If you compare us in our third NBA games, you will see that Yi's statistics are far better than mine".
On November 9, Yi played against Yao for the first time when the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
hosted Milwaukee in the Toyota Center
Toyota Center (Houston)
The Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in downtown Houston, Texas. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Rockets of the National Basketball Association, the principal owners of the building, and the Aeros of the American Hockey League.Rockets...
. Yi had 19 points and nine rebounds, including two three-pointers
Three-point field goal
A three-point field goal is a field goal in a basketball game, made from beyond the three-point line, a designated arc radiating from the basket...
, but the Rockets topped the Bucks 104–88, with Yao scoring 28 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. The game was also watched by over 200 million people in China, making it one of the most-watched games in NBA history. After the game, Yao called Yi's talent "unbelievable", and Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr., is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons.Entering the league after graduating from high school, McGrady eventually became a seven-time All-Star. He led the league in scoring in 2003 and 2004. He has also played for the Toronto...
said that Yi had "A tremendous upside in this league". Del Harris
Del Harris
Delmer William Harris is a basketball coach, currently the head coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League. He was an assistant coach for the NBA's New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Dallas Mavericks...
, the coach of the China's 2004 Olympics basketball team, also described Yi as "the most athletic 7-footer in the NBA".
Yi was named the Rookie of the Month for December after averaging 12.1 points and 6.6 rebound per game in that month, and scoring a career-high 29 points on 14-of-17 shooting
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
in the game against the Bobcats on December 22, 2007. On January 30, he was selected for the rookie team in the Rookie Challenge
Rookie Challenge
The Rookie Challenge is an exhibition basketball game held by the National Basketball Association on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend....
at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. On February 2, 2008, Yi faced Yao for the second time when the Bucks played the Rockets in Milwaukee, which Krystkowiak dubbed it the "Chinese Super Bowl". However, both players struggled during the Rockets' 91–83 victory. Yao had 12 points, and Yi injured his shoulder during the game, finishing the game with 6 points and scoring on one of his ten field goal
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
attempts.
On April 2, it was announced that Yi would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Having already missed eight games with other injuries, Yi played in only 66 (out of a possible 82) games in his rookie season, averaging 8.6 points on 42% shooting and 5.2 rebounds per game. One of Milwaukee's assistant coaches, Brian James
Brian James (basketball)
Brian James is an American basketball coach currently serving as an assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers...
, later said that "the injuries he had bothered him more than people realized, and he couldn't play through them."
New Jersey Nets
On June 26, 2008, Yi was traded along with Bobby SimmonsBobby Simmons
Bobby Simmons is an American professional basketball player.-College career:Simmons played three years of college basketball for DePaul University...
to the New Jersey Nets
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
for Richard Jefferson
Richard Jefferson
Richard Allen Jefferson is a 6 ft 7 in American professional basketball player currently playing for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association...
. The Nets team president Rod Thorn said that "we feel strongly he's going to be a real good player", and the team's chief executive Brett Yormark said "it opens up a truly new fan base for us." Yi said he didn't expect to be traded, but that it was "an honor to join the Nets."
Through his first 37 games with New Jersey, Yi averaged 10.5 points and 6.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 39% from behind the three-point line, which was well above his average from the previous season. But on January 9, 2009, Yi broke the little finger
Little finger
The little finger, often called the pinky in American English, pinkie in Scottish English , or small finger in medicine, is the most ulnar and usually smallest finger of the human hand, opposite the thumb, next to the ring finger.-Muscles:There are four muscles that...
on his right hand, and was expected to miss four to six weeks. Thorn called it "lousy timing" because "he'd been playing well", but Yi said "(I'll) just take my time. I'll come back." In voting for the 2009 All-Star Game
2009 NBA All-Star Game
The 2009 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on February 15, 2009 at US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Phoenix Suns. The game was the 58th edition of the National Basketball Association All-Star Game and was played during the 2008–09 NBA season...
, Yi finished third in total votes for Eastern Conference forwards, ahead of players such as Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce
Paul Anthony Pierce , nicknamed The Truth, is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He earned First Team All-America honors in his junior year at Kansas, and has been a starter every season since being selected by the Celtics with the 10th overall pick in the...
and Chris Bosh
Chris Bosh
Christopher Wesson Bosh is an American professional basketball player who plays power forward for the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association ....
, which raised allegations of Chinese fans voting for Yi only because of his nationality.
Yi made his return from injury after the All-Star Game
2009 NBA All-Star Game
The 2009 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on February 15, 2009 at US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, home of the Phoenix Suns. The game was the 58th edition of the National Basketball Association All-Star Game and was played during the 2008–09 NBA season...
, in a loss to the Rockets on February 17. However, after averaging only 6 points on 36% shooting after his return, Yi was removed from the starting lineup
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
. His final averages for the season were 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, as well as a 38% shooting percentage from the field, and 34% on three-point field goals. After the Nets finished the season outside of the 2009 playoffs
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
, Yi's agent Fegan suggested the Nets played better when Yi played more minutes and took more shots, and said it "begs the question...who's accountable?" Head coach Lawrence Frank
Lawrence Frank
Lawrence Frank is an American basketball coach for the Detroit Pistons. He formerly served as the head coach of the NBA's New Jersey Nets and as an assistant coach of the Boston Celtics.-Biography:...
said that "you have to be patient. He's only 21," and Yi assessed his season by saying he was "still too much up and down".
In the , Yi returned to the starting lineup. Starting in every game he played but one, Yi had several injuries during the season, which made him miss 30 games. He sprained his right MCL
Medial collateral ligament
The medial collateral ligament of the knee is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial side of the knee joint in humans and other primates. It is also known as the tibial collateral ligament, or abbreviated as the MCL.- Structure :It is a broad, flat, membranous band,...
on November 4 (missed 16 games), had a laceration on his upper lip on December 8 (missed 8 games), and sprained his left ankle on March 8 (missed 6 games). His final averages for the season were 12 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, as well as a 40% shooting percentage from the field, and 37% on three-point field goals.
Washington Wizards
On June 29, 2010, Yi was traded to the Washington WizardsWashington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
along with $3 million in cash considerations for Quinton Ross
Quinton Ross
Quinton Lenord Ross is an American professional basketball player.-High school and college:Ross led Dallas's Justin F. Kimball High School to the state finals, but they lost in the championship game....
. The Wizards had until June 30, 2011 to extend the qualifying offer to Yi but did not. As a result, Yi is currently an unrestricted free agent.
International career
Yi's first major international experience came at the FIBA Under-19 World Championships, where he averaged 18.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. He debuted with the senior national team in the 2004 Olympic Games2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and averaged 6 points and 6 rebounds a game at the 2006 FIBA World Championship
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
s. His performance impressed coaches on the Chinese national team as well as the coaches from other countries.
In 2008, Yi was once again selected to play for the national team in the Beijing Olympic Games
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. In China's first two groups games, Yi scored only 9 and 4 points respectively, and China lost both their games against the USA and Spain. But in a win against Angola, he recorded a double-double, and in the Chinese's second win against Germany, Yi had 9 points and 11 rebounds, and hit the crucial shot with 28 seconds left, to help China advance to the quarterfinals. However, Lithuania ended China's run by beating them 94–68, as Yi scored 11 points.
Yi Jianlian, along with former NBA player Sun Yue, was a member of the Chinese National Team that played at the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship
FIBA Asia Championship 2009
The 2009 FIBA Asia Championship for Men was the biennial Asian continental championship and also served as the FIBA Asia qualifying tournament for the 2010 FIBA World Championship. The tournament was held from August 6 to 16, 2009 in Tianjin, China....
and 2011 FIBA Asia Championship
FIBA Asia Championship 2011
The 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men is the intercontinental championship for basketball organized by FIBA Asia that doubles as a qualifying tournament for the men's basketball tournament of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England, United Kingdom. The tournament was held in 15–25 September...
.
Age discrepancy
In 2004, Yi was listed as being born in 1984 in China's Four Nation Tournament, although Chinese officials said that it was probably a typographical error. Two years later, Fran Blinebury of The Houston Chronicle reported that Yi told Shane BattierShane Battier
Shane Courtney Battier is an American professional basketball player . He most recently played with the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association. He has also been a member of the U.S...
he was 24 in an exhibition game before the 2006 FIBA World Championship
2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
, although the story was refuted by both Yi and Battier. Yi is not the first Chinese player to come under scrutiny, as former NBA player Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi is a Chinese professional basketball player. He is a former player in the National Basketball Association.Wang is 214 cm tall. Wang's father Wang Weijun and mother Ren Huanzhen were both basketball players...
has been listed as being born in both 1977 and 1979.
In 2006, a senior CBA official admitted that past youth squads had included players above the permitted age, and Yi's longtime American teammate in China, Jason Dixon, said to Chad Ford
Chad Ford
Chad Ford is an Assistant Professor at Brigham Young University – Hawaii and is Director over the McKay Center and is known for his study of conflict resolution with an emphasis on large group ethnic and religious conflict and for his sports journalism with ESPN.-Early life:Ford was born in Kansas...
that Yi was "21 or 22...It's pretty common over [in China] to change ages". In 2007, a Chinese government registration site made public by hackers
Hacker (computer security)
In computer security and everyday language, a hacker is someone who breaks into computers and computer networks. Hackers may be motivated by a multitude of reasons, including profit, protest, or because of the challenge...
showed Yi's date of birth as being in 1984, and in December 2008, a Chinese reporter discovered school registration forms that listed Yi as being born in 1984.
Personal life
Yi is fluent in both MandarinStandard Mandarin
Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....
and his native tongue of Cantonese
Standard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
. Although his English has improved in the United States, Yi still conducts interviews through his interpreter, Walter Ho. He is currently under contract with Coca Cola and Yili (a Chinese dairy company) to endorse their products in China, and after a bidding war with Adidas
Adidas
Adidas AG is a German sports apparel manufacturer and parent company of the Adidas Group, which consists of the Reebok sportswear company, TaylorMade-Adidas golf company , and Rockport...
, Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
signed Yi to a six-figure endorsement deal. He was ranked fourth on Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
' Chinese celebrities list
China Celebrity 100
China Celebrity 100 is a list published annually by Forbes, and is similar to Celebrity 100 also published by Forbes. Factors that are taken into account include income, search engine hits, as well as exposure on newspapers, magazines and television....
in income and popularity in 2007. In 2008, Yi donated 100,000 yuan to support the Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 Msand 7.9 Mw occurred at 14:28:01 CST...
victims, and also participated in the 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China...
by carrying the torch during the Hainan
Hainan
Hainan is the smallest province of the People's Republic of China . Although the province comprises some two hundred islands scattered among three archipelagos off the southern coast, of its land mass is Hainan Island , from which the province takes its name...
leg of the relay.
CBA
| Regular season | Team | GP | RPG | APG | FG% | FT% | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Guangdong Guangdong Southern Tigers Guangdong Winnerway Southern Tigers or Guangdong Southern Tigers or Guangdong Winnerway is a basketball team owned by the Guangdong Winnerway Group. The team is one of the best-performing teams in the Chinese Basketball Association, or CBA... |
36 | 3.3 | 0.2 | .58 | .60 | 5.0 |
| 2003–04 | Guangdong | 28 | 5.9 | 0.5 | .517 | .741 | 9.7 |
| 2004–05 | Guangdong | 53 | 10.2 | 1.4 | .568 | .717 | 16.8 |
| 2005–06 | Guangdong | 52 | 9.7 | 1.2 | .574 | .754 | 20.5 |
| 2006–07 | Guangdong | 39 | 11.5 | 1.1 | .585 | .816 | 24.9 |
| 2011–12 2011–12 CBA season The 2011–12 CBA season is the 17th CBA season. This season is scheduled to begin on November 19, 2011, while the last match of the Finals is set on March 30, 2012.-Foreign players policy:... |
Guangdong | 3 | 10.3 | 1.67 | .439 | .737 | 16.67 |
| Career totals | 172 | 9.6 | 1.1 | .570 | .783 | 18.6 |
Regular season
|-| align="left" | 2007–08
| align="left" | Milwaukee
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
| 66 || 49 || 25.0 || .421 || .286 || .841 || 5.2 || .8 || .6 || .9 || 8.6
|-
| align="left" | 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| align="left" | New Jersey
New Jersey Nets
The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
| 61 || 52 || 23.3 || .382 || .343 || .772 || 5.3 || 1.0 || .5 || .6 || 8.6
|-
| align="left" | 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| align="left" | New Jersey
| 52 || 51 || 31.8 || .403 || .366 || .798 || 7.2 || .9 || .7 || 1.0 || 12.0
|-
| align="left" | 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left" | Washington
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C., previously known as Washington Bullets. They play in the National Basketball Association .-Early years:...
| 63 || 11 || 17.7 || .418 || .231 || .681 || 3.9 || .4 || .4 || .5 || 5.6
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 242 || 163 || 24.1 || .405 || .335 || .784 || 5.3 || .8 || .5 || .7 || 8.5