Former No. 6 overall pick Yi Jianlian won't be returning to the NBA anytime soon. The athletic big man has signed a two-year deal with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. The deal, according to the club, does not contain an NBA-out clause.
Jianlian had scouts drooling over his athletic ability and vertical leap during the 2007 draft and he wound up going No. 6 to the Bucks. However, the Chinese sensation came with a ton of question marks, not the least of which being his age. The big man listed his birthday as October 27, 1987, but it's more likely that he was actually born in 1984, meaning that he is on the cusp of his 30th birthday today.
Over the course of five NBA seasons with the Bucks, Nets, Wizards, and Mavericks, Yi averaged 7.9 PPG and 4.9 RPG in 22.2 minutes per contest. Statistically, his best season came in 2009/10 for New Jersey where he put up 12.0 PPG and 7.2 RPG.
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