YI Jianlian, one of China’s all-time greatest players, retired from the professional game this week.
Yi Jianlian announces retirement
The 38-year-old forward enjoyed a stellar career spanning the NBA, the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and a central role for his country’s national team.
He announced his retirement in a social media post this week, saying, “I would like to thank the Chinese men's basketball team, which is sacred to me. Whenever I wear the national team shirt to play for the country, I can feel the pride of a strong motherland.
“Farewell is not an end, but a new beginning … I will miss it and move on to a new chapter.”
Yi won seven CBA championships with the Guangdong Southern Tigers. He joined the team in 2000 and began playing CBA games in 2002-03, winning the regular season, the All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest, and Rookie of the Year in his debut season. He won three CBA championships in a row between 2004 and 2007, before moving to the US to make his play in the NBA.
In 2007, he was picked sixth in the NBA draft by Milwaukee Bucks. Over five years in the American league, he also played for New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers.
Yi returned to the CBA, and to the Southern Tigers, in 2012-13. Since then, he won four more championships and a host of personal accolades.
With the China national team, Yi played in four Olympic Games and multiple Asian Games and FIBA World and Asian championships. He won gold with China at the Asian Games in Doha in 2006.
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