During the 8 seasons when Yao Ming was playing for the Houston Rockets, the NBA gained its immense popularity in China. China has become the largest overseas market for the NBA, while stars like Kobe Bryant and Lebron James are making tens of millions of dollars there. Although Yao had a successful career, he had to retire early due to foot injuries. After Yao, both the NBA and China wanted another “Yao Ming”. That was when Yi Jianlian came into the spotlight.
“Chinese Kevin Garnett”
No matter whether the nickname was suitable or no, Yi did show great potential. He is 7 feet tall, has a 7’3.5″ wingspan, and has a vertical around 30 inches. Adding on the physical attributes, Yi is also a great mid-range shooter and can run the court as fast as a small forward. Remember, we are talking about the NBA before 2010, where big men were not expected to have small forward skills. As a result, people had great expectations for Yi. When Yi entered the 2007 draft, people were talking about his potential to become the next superstar coming out of China.
Promising Rookie Year
Yi was drafted by the Bucks with the 6th pick in the first round. Despite some concerns about whether he will endure the physicality of the NBA, Yi showed that kind of promise for a 6th pick. He won the rookie of the month in December, averaging 12.1 points and 6.6 rebounds. In the same month, Yi recorded a career-high 29 point game on 14-17 field goals against the Bobcats. He was also selected for the Rookie Challenge in the 2008 All-Star Games. Yi and Yao’s first encounter was one of the most-watched games in the league’s history, given that over 200 million people in China tuned in just to watch these two players. Everything seemed quite promising for the young power forward.
What Went Wrong?
Yi seemed to have everything to become an all-star or at least a starting power forward for any of the teams in the NBA. He was very athletic for a 7 footer and showed an extensive arsenal. Yet it turned out he was considered “too soft” for the NBA at the time, where muscle power was still the fundamental of power forwards and centers. He did have great shooting, but he was not as great as Dirk Nowitzki. On the other hand, he did show some low post skills. Yet those low post skills were not good enough to match power forwards like Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. Basically, Yi was an all-around player. His problem was that none of his strengths were good enough to make him a star player.
It still does not make sense. Although Yi was not destined to be a star, his performance in his rookie year still showed his promise to at least have a spot in the NBA. So what went wrong? In fact, nobody could tell what went wrong. Yi had injuries. Yet no one thought those injuries could severely impact Yi’s career. Yi had a successful career in China after his return from the NBA, and no signs were showing that he was bothered by injuries. Some say Yi suffered from language barriers. However, Yi did show his fluency in English in several interviews.
Over expectations might be the answer. After Yao, both the NBA and the whole nation of China were looking for a successor to carry one Yao’s legacy. Yi was the one to be handed with the torch. Moreover, Yi had to take on the leader role at the national team. He once spoke in an interview that he never considers himself a leader. The pressure from the NBA and the national team doubled down on him and eventually made it unsustainable for him to continue his career at the NBA. After the Bucks, Yi had a few years at the Nets and was traded to Washington and Dallas. He had some great games but suffered from inconsistency and multiple injuries. Yi had his last shot with the NBA after his great performance at the 2016 Olympics. The Lakers signed a one-year, $8 million contract with Yi. It did not work out as Yi asked the team to waive him prior to the regular season.
Still Looking For “the Next Yao Ming”?
Yi is a great player. Under the best circumstances, he could have been successful in the NBA. However, there is only one Yao Ming. Yao’s success is a combination of multiple factors. It is unrealistic to expect any talented prospects from China to have the same opportunity. Maybe the NBA and the people of China should change their approach to Chinese players. Over expectations undermined Yi’s NBA career. I hope no future players from China will have to endure the same pressure.
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