Yi Jianlian

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Yi Jianlian 易建聯
Position	Power forward
League	NBA
Height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Weight	248 lb (112 kg)
Team	Milwaukee Bucks
Nationality	China
Born	October 27 1987 (1987-10-27) (age 20) (disputed) Shenzhen, Guangdong
Draft	1^st round, 6^th overall, 2007 Milwaukee Bucks
Pro career	2002–present
Former teams	Guangdong Southern Tigers (2002–2007)

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Yi.

Yi Jianlian (simplified Chinese: 易建联; traditional Chinese: 易建聯; pinyin: Yì Jiànlián; Cantonese: Yik Ginlyùn), born on October 27, 1987 (disputed, see below), in Heshan, Guangdong, China is a Chinese professional basketball player. As a power forward, Yi previously played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association as the 6th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.

1 Pre-NBA career
2 NBA career
- 2.1 NBA Draft
- 2.2 Milwaukee Bucks
3 Age discrepancy
4 Career statistics
- 4.1 CBA statistics
- 4.2 NBA statistics
5 Personal
6 Notes
7 External links

Pre-NBA career

Yi's father is 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) tall, while his mother is 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in). Both of them are retired professional handball players.^[1] Yi started playing basketball in 1998,^[2] was 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) in 1999, and could already touch 3.51 m (11 ft 6 in) by the time he joined the Guangdong Tigers in 2002.^[1] In the same year, Yi Jianlian attended the Adidas ABCD camp in New Jersey.^[2] Yi was discovered by scouts in 1999 on a playground in Shenzhen. He first gained worldwide recognition when he was featured in TIME magazine's August 24, 2003 article titled, "The Next Yao Ming.^[1] He won the Rookie of the Year award in the 2002-03 CBA season, and won three championships with Guangdong.^[3] In February of 2005, Yi shot 16 of 16 from the field, scoring 34 points.^[4] In what was Yi's last year in his first stay in the CBA, the Tigers lost to the Bayi Rockets in the 2007 CBA finals, failing to win their fourth straight title.^[5] Internationally, in 2003 he averaged 18.9 points 11.5 rebounds a game at FIBA Under-19 World Championships.^[3] He debuted with the senior national team in the 2004 Olympic Games, and averaged 6 points and 6 rebounds a game at the 2006 FIBA World Championships,^[3] impressing coaches on both the Chinese national team as well as the coaches from other countries.^[6] Yi also owns the all-time record for the most number of slam dunks by a Chinese player in the Chinese Basketball Association.

NBA career

NBA Draft

Yi was not expected to enter the NBA Draft until 2009 because the Chinese Basketball Association does not allow players to leave until they turn 22.^[7] In early 2006, he announced he would enter the 2006 NBA Draft, although he eventually decided to withdraw, saying he was "not good enough to compete in the NBA and needed more experience."^[8] However, on November 1, 2006, Yi's club, the Guangdong Tigers, announced that Yi would enter the 2007 NBA Draft. Yi chose NBA agent Dan Fegan to represent him in the NBA Draft.^[9] He also flew to Los Angeles to participate in pre-NBA Draft camps.^[10] On June 28, 2007, Yi was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Since Milwaukee was not on the list of Yi's preferred teams, it was uncertain whether he would play. The Bucks were not one of the teams invited to his pre-draft private workouts in Los Angeles. On July 5, Bucks general manager Larry Harris and head coach Larry Krystkowiak met Yi in a Las Vegas, Nevada hotel, hoping to persuade him to play for Milwaukee.^[11] There were rumors Yi's agent would attempt to force the Bucks to trade his NBA rights to a city where there is a large Asian community such as the Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, or Golden State Warriors. The owner of the Bucks franchise, Senator Herb Kohl, wrote a letter to Yi and his representatives, hoping that once Yi knew the city better, and realized that Milwaukee is not far from Chicago, Yi would decide to play for the Bucks. It was rumored that NBA commissioner David Stern was involved behind the scenes, attempting to persuade Yi to sign with Milwaukee^[12]. After owner Herb Kohl made a special trip to Hong Kong to appeal to Yi personally [3], and after months of speculation, on August 29th, the Milwaukee Bucks and Yi agreed to a multi-year deal. Per team policy, the financial terms were not disclosed, but NBA rookies' contracts are fixed by the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement in both length and salary based on position taken in the draft.

Milwaukee Bucks

Head coach Larry Krystkowiak named Yi the starting power forward in place of Charlie Villanueva to begin the 2007-2008 regular season. "The competition is normal," Yi told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I want to compete with myself, instead of Charlie V."^[13] In his home debut in Milwaukee, Yi scored 16 points while grabbing eight rebounds in his first NBA game to be televised nationally in his native country China, a 78-72 win against the Chicago Bulls on November 3rd, 2007. In an interview with Titan Sports weekly, Yao Ming praised his countryman: "If you compare us in our third NBA games, you will see that Yi's statistics are far better than mine." On Friday November 9th Yi Jianlian's Bucks met Yao Ming's Rockets for the first time. The game was highly anticipated, and NBA officials expected a viewing audience well over 200 million in China alone. Yi Jianlian scored 19 points, and grabbed nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough as the Rockets topped the Bucks 104-88. Yao Ming had 28 points, and grabbed ten rebounds. His performance gained the respect of the Houston Rockets, Tracy McGrady, who guarded Yi said following the game: "He has a tremendous upside in this league, this kid's for real." Del Harris, the father of Milwaukee Bucks General manager Larry Harris, coached Yi in the 2004 Olympics and describes Yi as the most athletic seven footer in the NBA, "I don't think any 7-footer can beat him in a race. I don't think anybody can jump higher".^[14]

Age discrepancy

Questions surround Yi Jianlian's actual birthdate. His official passport and hukou (residency papers) in China have him listed as being born on October 27, 1987. However, it has been rumored that his date of birth may have been intentionally falsified so he could play in junior competitions. The estimates of his birth year are between 1981 and 1984. In 2004, he was listed as being born in 1984 in China's Four Nation Tournament,^[15] although authorities said it was only a "typo". NBA draft sites DrpaftExpress.com and NBADraft.net also both listed him as being born in 1984.^[16]^[17] Fran Blinebury of the Houston Chronicle reported that Yi told Shane Battier he was 24 in an exhibition game before the 2006 FIBA World Championship.^[18] If this statement were true, it would place Yi's year of birth in either 1981 or 1982 (the 2006 Worlds were held in August and September, before Yi's listed birth date of October 27). In August 2007, China's state media CCTV reports that Yi Jianlian was indeed born in 1984, citing a link from a government registration website.^[19] At his first NBA practice on October 4, 2007, Yi refused to answer questions about his real age.^[20] A Chinese report in November 2007 by "Shidai" Magazine traced Yi's career in the Youth Sports School and Middle School.^[21] The author who went to Shenzhen City to interview his former coaches and teachers, noted that when Yi went to Shenzhen City Sports School in May of 1999, he was just about to graduate from Bing He Middle School (equivalent to 9th grade). This indicates that Yi was likely 15 in 1999. In his 2005 Book "Operation Yao Ming", Time magazine correspondent Brook Larmer wrote (Chapter 19, Page 306):

'Nobody involved in Chinese basketball wanted to talk about Yi's age controversy, least of Yi himself. His Guangdong coach declined to confirm or deny the age fraud, saying only that the 1987 birth date appeared on Yi's official hukou, or residency permit. His parents both said publicly that he was born in 1987, but when pressed on the issue, his father smiled blankly without responding. Asked the same question in a private dinner in August 2003, Yi himself turned away and gazed at the patterned carpeting on the floor, filling the room with an uncomfortable silence. He snapped back to attention, however, when his out-of-town visitor explained the biggest consequence of the age manipulation: "Did you know that, according to NBA rules, you won't be eligible to enter the NBA draft without official permission until 2009?" Yi shook his head forlornly. "That's a long time," he said. He couldn't afford to say any more.'

Career statistics

CBA statistics

Regular season	Team	GP	RPG	APG	FG%	FT%	PPG
2002-03	Guandong	??	3.3	0.2	.58	??	5.0
2003-04	Guandong	28	5.9	0.5	.517	.741	9.7
2004-05	Guandong	53	10.2	1.4	.568	.717	16.8
2005-06	Guandong	52	9.7	1.2	.574	.754	20.5
2006-07	Guandong	39	11.5	1.1	.585	.816	24.9
Career totals		172	9.6	1.1	.570	.783	18.6

NBA statistics

Regular season	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	OFF	DEF	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TO	PF	PPG
2007-08	Milwaukee	30	30	28.3	.471	.357	.800	2.0	4.1	6.1	0.9	0.5	1.1	1.57	2.40	11.0
Career totals		30	30	28.3	.471	.357	.800	2.0	4.1	6.1	0.9	0.5	1.1	1.57	2.40	11.0

Personal

Yi is fluent in both Mandarin and his home dialect of Cantonese. He also takes daily English classes, and now does interviews and conversations in English without an interpreter.^[22] He is currently under contract with Nike to endorse its products in China.^[23].

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Larmer, Brook. "What's Next?", August 24, 2003. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
^ ^a ^b "Yi no Yao, but ABCD has Chinese flavor", July 9, 2002. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ ^a ^b ^c 2006 FIBA World Championships. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ "Liaoning ensure division-leading place in CBA league", February 3, 2005. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ "Bayi Win Chinese Basketball Title over Guangdong", March 29, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ "USA-China Post Game Quotes (August 7 , 2006)", USA Basketball, August 7, 2006. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.
^ Rui, Zhau. "Yi can enter 2007 NBA draft", November 3, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-03-02.
^ Rui, Zhau. "China's Yi Jianlian not ready for NBA yet", April 20, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ Chris, Sheridan. "Fegan will represent Yi for contract, marketing", November 8, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ "[Message from Yao to Yi Fegan will represent Yi for contract, marketing]", April 13, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ Bucks meet with Yi in Las Vegas, begin lobbying July 6, 2007
^ Stern offers kudos to Kohl August 31, 2007
^ [1] October 30, 2007
^ [2] November 10, 2007
^ Smith, Aran. "Yi Jianlian actually 19 years old", July 14, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
^ DraftExpress Profile : Yi Jianlian. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ NBAdraft.net Profile : Yi Jianlian. Retrieved on 2007-11-06.
^ Blinebury, Fran. "China rushing to match talent on court before 2008 Olympics", Houston Chronicle, August 26, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-03-12.
^ Yi Jianlian 23 years old. Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
^ Yi practices with Bucks for the first time after arriving from China, dodges age question, October 4, 2007
^ http://sports.sohu.com/20071125/n253455319.shtml
^ Chad, Ford. "China rushing to match talent on court before 2008 Olympics", ESPN, May 21, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-05-25.
^ Forney, Matthew. "How Nike Figured Out China", October 17, 2004. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.

External links

	China squad - 2006 FIBA World Championship - 15th place
4 Chen \| 5 Liu \| 6 Z.Q.Zhang \| 7 W.S.Wang \| 8 Zhu \| 9 Sun \| 10 Z.S.Zhang \| 11 Yi \| 12 Mo \| 13 Yao \| 14 W.Z.Wang \| 15 Du \| Coach: Kazlauskas