Yi Jianlian - International Career

International Career

Yi's first major international experience came at the FIBA Under-19 World Championships, where he averaged 18.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. 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. His performance impressed coaches on the Chinese national team as well as the coaches from other countries.

In 2008, Yi was once again selected to play for the national team in the Beijing Olympic Games. In China's first two groups games, Yi scored only 9 and 4 points respectively, and China lost both their games against the USA and Spain. But in a win against Angola, he recorded a double-double, and in the Chinese's second win against Germany, Yi had 9 points and 11 rebounds, and hit the crucial shot with 28 seconds left, to help China advance to the quarterfinals. However, Lithuania ended China's run by beating them 94–68, as Yi scored 11 points.

Yi Jianlian, along with former NBA player Sun Yue, was a member of the Chinese National Team that played at the 2009 FIBA Asia Championship and 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. Yi was named the MVP of the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. He averaged 16.6 points, 10.8 rebounds per game, and 1.4 blocks.

Yi was China's flag bearer at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.