Yi Jianlian vows to carry the Chinese National Basketball team on his shoulders - NBA Update
For a decade the pinnacle of Chinese National Basketball squad’s offense was Yao Ming. However the unfortunate foot injury forced him to head towards early retirement last year, leaving behind a huge vacuum, especially on the offensive end.
Without him it is feared that the Chinese team will not be able to advance through to the 2012 London Olympics knockout stage.
However the new face of Chinese basketball and former Dallas Mavericks’ player Yi Jianlian believes otherwise and is adamant that the Chinese National Basketball is not a lost cause yet.
Yi has his eyes set on the London Olympics and is determined to carry the Chinese squad through the mega event.
According to China Daily.com the 24-year-old forward said;
“Definitely, my role on the team has changed a lot," Yi said after the release of Nike Olympic outfits at Beijing's MasterCard Center on Saturday. "Four years ago, Yao was there to spearhead the team's offense, and I did more of the dirty work as a defender and rebounder”.
The 7 ft player has been in the mainstream basketball since 2002 and has carried the Chinese flag into 2 Olympic events, 2004 in Athens and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Being a rookie in 2004, he attracted the attention of his peers due to his athleticism. Later on in 2008 he adequately executed the defensive assignment and led China into the quarterfinals.Yi couldn’t establish himself at the NBA, but at home he is quiet a sensation. In the last years’ FIBA Asian Championship, he averaged 16.6 points and 10.8 boards and was named as the 2011 FIBA Asian Championship’s MVP.
Reflecting on his previous experience Jianlian said that his game has evolved gradually over the years, and thinks that he is at the zenith of his game now.
"I was too immature to play big in 2004." Yi said. "I honed myself and grew a lot in 2008 and I will be in my prime in London. I don't want to leave any regrets this year."
But the question, is whether he will be single-handedly able to carry China through the mega event. On one hand, they have lost their key player in Ming and on the other veteran Wang Zhizhi is only a shadow of himself now.This increases the responsibility on Yi's shoulders a whole lot.
Tags: