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| Milwaukee Bucks | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1987-10-27) October 27, 1987 (age 37) (disputed) Heshan, Guangdong |
| Nationality | China |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 238 lb (108 kg) |
| Career information | |
| NBA draft | 2007: 1 round, 6 overall |
| Selected by the Milwaukee Bucks | |
| Playing career | 2002–present |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Template:Chinese name Yi Jianlian (simplified Chinese: 易建联; traditional Chinese: 易建聯; pinyin: Yì Jiànlián), born on October 27, 1987 (disputed, see below), in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China, is a Chinese professional basketball player. As a power forward, Yi previously played for Guangdong Southern Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks of National Basketball Association as the 6th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Career
Pre-NBA career
Yi's father is 1.99 meters (6’6”) tall, while his mother is 1.72 meters (5’8”). Both of them were retired professional handball players. Yi started playing basketball when he was 12, was 1.93 meters (6’4”) by the time he was 13, and could already touch 3.51 meters (11'5”) by the time he joined the Guangdong Tigers in 2002. In the same year, Yi Jianlian attended the Adidas ABCD camp in New Jersey.
He first gained worldwide recognition when he was featured in TIME magazine's August 24, 2003 article titled, "The Next Yao Ming."
He won the Rookie of the Year award in the 2002-03 CBA season, and won three championships with Guangdong. In February of 2005, Yi shot 16 of 16 from the field, scoring 34 points. In what was probably Yi's last year in the CBA, the Tigers lost to the Bayi Rockets in the 2007 CBA finals, failing to win their fourth straight title.
Internationally, he averaged 1.9 points 1.5 rebounds a game at FIBA Under-19 World Championships. 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, impressing coaches on both the Chinese national team as well as the coaches from other countries.
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. 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." However, on November 1st, 2006, Yi's club, the Guangdong Tigers, announced that Yi would enter the 2007 NBA Draft. It was reported in China that Yi only wants to play for the Chicago Bulls or the Golden State Warriors.
Yi chose NBA agent Dan Fegan to represent him in the NBA Draft. He also flew to Los Angeles to participate in pre-NBA Draft camps.
On June 28, 2007, Yi was taken 6th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. There is still controversy on whether Yi will play in Milwaukee. The Bucks are currently talking to Yi's representatives and are planning to have Yi play for them in the 2007-2008 season. The owner of the Bucks franchise, Senator Herb Kohl, wrote a letter to Yi and his representatives, hoping that Yi will stay in Milwaukee. The owner hopes that once Yi knows the city better, and realize that Milwaukee is not far from Chicago (which has a large Asian community), Yi will decide to play for the Bucks.
Age discrepancy
Questions surround his real birthdate, as 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, although authorities said it was only a "typo". NBA draft site DraftExpress.com also listed him as being born in 1984. A news reporter from WEEI in Boston, Mickey Adams, who can speak Mandarin and Cantonese can confirm in private conversations that Yi is not really sure how old he is but believes he was born in 1984 because of a baby picture of himself with a newspaper dated December 29, 1984 in the background.
The Houston Chronicle's Fran Blinebury reported that Yi told Shane Battier he was 24 in an exhibition game before the 2006 FIBA World Championship. 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). However, a Chinese newspaper reported that Battier disavowed the comment attributed to him. Yi has gone on record saying that he did not talk to Battier about his age and that he was born in 1987 and that anyone saying anything else would be slandering him.
Personal
Yi is fluent in both Mandarin and his home language of Cantonese. He also takes daily English classes, and now does interviews and conversations in English without an interpreter.
He is currently under contract with Nike to advertise their products within China.
References
- ^ Xiao, Li (September 22, 2003). "Little Giant EEEE! Jianlian: I Want to Play NBA Basketball". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Yi no Yao, but ABCD has Chinese flavor". July 9, 2002. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "2006 FIBA World Championships". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) Cite error: The named reference "ref3" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - "Liaoning ensure division-leading place in CBA league". February 3, 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "Bayi Win Chinese Basketball Title over Guangdong". March 29, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "USA-China Post Game Quotes (August 7, 2006)". USA Basketball. August 7, 2006. Retrieved 2006-09-07.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Rui, Zhau (November 3, 2006). "Yi can enter 2007 NBA draft". Retrieved 2007-03-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Rui, Zhau (April 20, 2006). "China's Yi Jianlian not ready for NBA yet". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "DraftExpress: Mock Draft". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "NBADraft.net". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "InsideHoops.com – NBA Mock Draft". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - "Hoopshype – NBA Draft 2007". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Chris, Sheridan (November 8, 2006). "Fegan will represent Yi for contract, marketing". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help) - . April 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check|url=value (help); Check date values in:|date=(help) - Smith, Aran (July 14, 2004). "Yi Jianlian actually 19 years old". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - "DraftExpress Profile : Yi Jianlian". Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - Blinebury, Fran (August 26, 2006). "China rushing to match talent on court before 2008 Olympics". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Chad, Ford (May 21, 2007). "China rushing to match talent on court before 2008 Olympics". ESPN. Retrieved 2007-05-25.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); More than one of|author=and|last=specified (help) - Forney, Matthew (October 17, 2004). "How Nike Figured Out China". Retrieved 2007-05-02.
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External links
- Time magazine (August 24 2003)
- NBAdraft.net profile
- DraftExpress.com profile
- Yi Jianlian's Age, NBA Employment, and Immigration Law
- The Yi Movement
http://www.yijianliancentral.com/
| Milwaukee Bucks roster | |
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