Yi Jianlian is to end his work as a basketball player.
On Aug. 29, 2023, Chinese basketball star Yi Jianlian said it was time to end his 21-year basketball career (职业生涯).
Yi is the last player from China's famous 12-man team to do so. The team had NBA stars like Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi. They played together in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and came 8th. This is one of the best achievements of the Chinese men's basketball team.
Yi had five seasons in the NBA. In 2007, he joined the Milwaukee Bucks. He later also played for NBA teams, such as the New Jersey Nets and Washington Wizards.
However, Yi spent most of his career with the Guangdong Southern Tigers. He led the team to seven CBA championships (冠军).
Yi used to lead China's national basketball team. Now, Chinese basketball faces a big question: Who will take the lead(领导)? Only time will tell.