"08 Golden Generation"!, Yi Jianlian! Sorry, goodbye, individual | China team | Yi Jianlian
Just as all fans were worried about whether the Chinese men's basketball team could make a comeback in the Men's Basketball World Cup, late on the night of the 29th, Yi Jianlian, the "ultimate goal" of the Chinese men's basketball team for many years, announced his retirement through personal social media, ending his 21 year career. As Yi Jianlian bid farewell to the field, all 12 players of the Chinese men's basketball team, known as the "08 Golden Generation" by fans at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, have retired, and that team reached the quarterfinals at that Olympics. They are: Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Du Feng, Wang Shipeng, Zhu Fangyu, Wang Lei, Liu Wei, Sun Yue, Li Nan, Zhang Qingpeng, Chen Jianghua, and Yi Jianlian.
Yi Jianlian is destined to be a name that will always be remembered in the history of Chinese basketball. I believe even if you are not a basketball fan, you know what the three words "Yi Jianlian" represent. "He has shone in the NBA, ruled in the CBA, carried the team forward in the national team, and will always be the soul of the Guangdong team," said a fan.
Yi Jianlian, who is about to turn 36 years old, had a decline in his form in last season's CBA league. "Watching Yi Jianlian play, watching one game less," fans were already mentally prepared for his retirement. However, when this day arrived, it still left fans with countless emotions.
Returning to the 2002-03 season of the CBA league, 16-year-old Yi Jianlian officially began his professional career at the Guangdong men's basketball team. The legendary story of a generation begins here.
On March 19, 2003, Yi Jianlian from Guangdong Hongyuan team broke through the basket. That night, in the first game of the CBA playoffs held in Jinan, Guangdong Hongyuan team defeated Shandong Kingston team 135-109 away.
On July 31, 2004, Chinese player Yi Jianlian and teammate Bartel blocked the opponent's attack. On that day, in the Diamond Cup International Basketball Invitational held in Belgrade, the Chinese national men's basketball team lost their first game 78-92 to the world championship champions and host country Serbia and Montenegro.
On December 13, 2006, Chinese team player Yi Jianlian layed up during a game. On that day, the Chinese team defeated Jordan 86-58 in the men's basketball semi-finals of the Doha Asian Games and advanced to the finals.
In his third season of his career, Yi Jianlian averaged 16.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, and the inexperienced young boy quickly entered the ranks of the league's excellent interior. The outstanding performance in the league led to this "genius youth" being selected for the national team in 2004. In 2007, Yi Jianlian participated in the NBA draft and was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks in the sixth overall pick of the first round. "I can still recall the sentence that President Stern shouted when A-League participated in the NBA draft: 'Milwaukee BucksselectYiJianlianfromCHINAGuangdongHongyuanteam'. Now, looking back, everything feels like a dream." Another fan said, 'I miss my school days when I finished school at noon and rushed home to watch the last quarter of the NBA. At that time, there was Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.' "
Image: On June 28, 2007, Chinese player Yi Jianlian, forward Durant from the University of Texas, and center Oden from Ohio State University took a group photo with some players invited to attend the 2007 NBA Draft. On that day, the 2007 NBA Draft was held at Madison Square Garden in New York.
On November 9, 2007, Houston Rockets player Yao Ming competed with Milwaukee Bucks player Yi Jianlian in a game. On that day, in the 2007/2008 NBA regular season, the Houston Rockets defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 104-88 at home.
After several years of playing on the other side of the ocean, he returned to the CBA field and helped Guangdong men's basketball team win the championship multiple times. He also holds multiple CBA historical records. When it comes to the significance of Yi Jianlian to Chinese basketball, it can be roughly divided into two parts: the "big brother" of Chinese men's basketball and the "Dinghai Shenzhen" of Guangdong men's basketball. From Athens to Rio, Yi Jianlian wore the national team jersey four times to compete in the Olympics. In 2004 and 2008, he helped the team reach the top 8 of the Olympics twice. As a member of the "08 Golden Generation" of the Chinese men's basketball team, the scene of Yi Jianlian dunking Anthony at the Beijing Olympics is still considered a classic.
Image: On August 16, 2008, Chinese team player Yi Jianlian saved himself under the basket. On that day, in the group stage of the men's basketball team at the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese men's basketball team defeated the German team 59-55.
Image: On September 25, 2011, Chinese team player Yi Jianlian imitated a photographer to take photos of his teammates at the award ceremony. On that day, in the final of the 26th Asian Men's Basketball Championship held in Wuhan, the Chinese team defeated the Jordanian team 70-69 to win the championship.
On September 8, 2019, the Chinese men's basketball team lost to Nigeria in the qualifying round of the World Cup and missed the opportunity to directly participate in the Tokyo Olympics. At that time, Yi Jianlian, who was already in his thirties, gave his all and hit 27 points and 6 rebounds. When the game lost its suspense, he couldn't hide his disappointment after leaving early. In this way, Yi Jianlian bid farewell to the World Cup. That was also his last game representing the national team.
On September 8, 2019, Chinese team player Yi Jianlian dribbled and broke through during the game. On that day, in the second stage of the group stage of the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup held in Guangzhou, the Chinese team lost 73-86 to the Nigerian team.
As one of the iconic figures in Chinese basketball, Yi Jianlian has a passionate love for this sport. As he said in his retirement statement, "Goodbye, my favorite basketball. Thank you for giving me this wonderful journey of 21 years, with passion, joy, regret, tears, reliable companions, and admirable opponents."
