Yi Jianlian heads back to China amid NBA lockout uncertainty
Former Washington Wizards player Yi Jianlian is heading back to his native country China as the NBA lockout continues to drag out. Jianlian has signed a contract with Chinese basketball club Guangdong Hongyuan.
The contract is for one season and Yi will start for Guangdong Hongyuan when the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season begins in November. Guangdong Hongyuan have been the most dominant side in Chinese basketball over the
last decade, winning 7 out of 8 previous Championships.
Yi played a big part in Guangdong Hongyuan’s success from 2004 to 2006, when his impressive form resulted in a call from the NBA. After 5 years in the league, Jianlian returns to China as the second most famous export of the country’s
basketball system, after recently retired centre Yao Ming.
Jianlian played for the Washington Wizards in the last NBA season, but his contract was up this July, which the Wizards opted not to extend. Therefore, Yi is currently an unrestricted free agent and this makes him eligible to play
in China.
His contract though is believed to have an escape clause, in case the NBA lockout ends and a franchise from the United States is interested in his services.
"Yi has signed a one-season contract with Hongyuan with an option to leave once he accepts an invitation from NBA teams," Guangdong Hongyuan's team manager Liu Hongjiang told Xinhua.
The CBA has been a strong opponent of escape clauses, a thing which it believes will disrupt the season, but Guangdong were happy to make an exception in Jianlian’s case.
"Although he may not stay with us very long, I am quite sure his return is good for himself, the team and Chinese fans as well,” Liu said.
Liu also believed that the franchise would benefit from having the high profile Chinese on board while Yi could use the games to stay in shape.
"He could keep his edge in CBA, our team will also benefit from his skills and fans certainly want to see him play at his best years."
Liu did though explain that the side was strong enough without Jianlian and they wouldn’t fall apart if he were to leave mid season.
"Otherwise we would not agree with the jump-out clause in the contract," he said.
During his career in the NBA, Yi represented many different teams. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks and has also represented New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards.
However the current NBA lockout has, for the time being, cut his American adventure short.
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