Background and career
Yi Jianlian (Chinese: 易建联; pinyin: Yì Jiànlián [î tɕjɛ̂nljɛ̌n]; born October 27, 1984), nicknamed "the Chairman" is a Chinese former professional basketball player who last played for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He also played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks, the New Jersey Nets, the Washington Wizards, and the Dallas Mavericks.
Yi joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers for the 2002–03 CBA season, and subsequently won the CBA Rookie of the Year award. In his first five years with Guangdong, the team won three CBA titles. In the 2007 NBA draft, he was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the sixth overall pick. Yi declined to sign with Milwaukee for several months but agreed to a contract in August 2007. He later played for three other NBA teams, then returned to the Guangdong Southern Tigers in 2012.
Yi also played for the Chinese national team in the 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics and the 2006 and 2010 FIBA World Championships.
