Yi Jianlian's Departure Leaves NBA With No Chinese

After spending over half the games last season on the Dallas Mavericks bench, power forward Yi Jianlian has decided to return to China.

Yi will play at least the full 2012-2013 season for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, the team he played with early last season during the NBA lockout.

“Playing basketball is always the most important thing for me — anywhere on any stage,” Yi wrote on his weibo account Saturday after flying to Beijing from New York. “It’s been part of my life. I am really looking forward to the new season at home.”

Yi’s departure might have come in May when he nearly accepted Guangdong’s offer.

“We talked about the possibility to return in May and he almost accepted our offer at that time,” said Guangdong’s General Manager Liu Hongjiang. “It’s a huge pity to spend his prime years on the bench in the NBA without being trusted. He wants to play and we can provide an ideal stage at home. That’s the deal.”

With the Mavericks last season Yi played just 30 of the shortened season’s 66 games, averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 rebounds. After the worst stats of his 5-year NBA career Yi wasn’t offered a guaranteed contract by Dallas or any other team. The blame for that lies with Yi’s attitude, according to former ESPN and AP writer Chris Sheridan.

“It is because despite all of the potential and talent Yi possesses, he never played with enough confidence,” wrote Sheridan on his blog on Sunday.

Yi received heavy interest from major European teams, including Real Madrid during the off season but had rejected them in an effort to focus on NBA opportunities.

Now Yi is looking forward to helping the Southern Tigers vie for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) championship, a title it has won seven times. However, after Yi’s departure last season, the team lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the Beijing Ducks who went on to win the title.

And if he plays well, Yi may well get another shot at making more of a mark in the NBA, in the view of observers.

“I do not believe he has played his last game in the NBA,” said Sheridan. “Because the Chinese season ends so early, if he has a good year for Guangdong I would imagine there will be an NBA playoff team willing to sign him for the remainder of the 2013 season.”

Yi’s return to China leaves no Chinese-born players in the NBA for the first time in nearly two decades. Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin will be the NBA’s sole player of East Asian descent.