His problem was that none of his strengths were good enough to make him a star player. Yet those low post skills were not good enough to match power forwards like Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. On the other hand, he did show some low post skills. He did have great shooting, but he was not as great as Dirk Nowitzki. 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 was very athletic for a 7 footer and showed an extensive arsenal. 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. Everything seemed quite promising for the young power forward. 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. He was also selected for the Rookie Challenge in the 2008 All-Star Games. In the same month, Yi recorded a career-high 29 point game on 14-17 field goals against the Bobcats. ![]() He won the rookie of the month in December, averaging 12.1 points and 6.6 rebounds. Despite some concerns about whether he will endure the physicality of the NBA, Yi showed that kind of promise for a 6th pick. Yi was drafted by the Bucks with the 6th pick in the first round. When Yi entered the 2007 draft, people were talking about his potential to become the next superstar coming out of China. As a result, people had great expectations for Yi. Remember, we are talking about the NBA before 2010, where big men were not expected to have small forward skills. Adding on the physical attributes, Yi is also a great mid-range shooter and can run the court as fast as a small forward. ![]() He is 7 feet tall, has a 7’3.5″ wingspan, and has a vertical around 30 inches. No matter whether the nickname was suitable or no, Yi did show great potential. ![]() That was when Yi Jianlian came into the spotlight. After Yao, both the NBA and China wanted another “Yao Ming”. Although Yao had a successful career, he had to retire early due to foot injuries. 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. During the 8 seasons when Yao Ming was playing for the Houston Rockets, the NBA gained its immense popularity in China.
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