Yi Jianlian

Yi Jianlian (Chinese: 易建联) is a Chinese professional basketball player who plays for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He has also played in the American National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, and Dallas Mavericks. Yi played power forward for the Guangdong Southern Tigers 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 Championships. 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.