Former NBA and LA Lakers star Yi Jianlian has had a rough return the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
Yi's return was marred by an incident which saw the player remove his league-sponsored Li Ning shoes while he stood beneath the opposition's basket during regulation time in a recent game against the Shenzhen Leopards.
He left his trainers there on the court and went back to his bench to slip into a pair of Nikes, shoes provided by his own personal sponsor.
The officials decided this was enough to have Yi removed from the game. The ref's decision was eventually overturned, and Yi returned from the locker room to play in the third quarter.
Sporting his Nikes, Yi went on to pick up 13 points, four rebounds and one assist in his 24 minutes on the court. Yi's team, the Guangdong Southern Tigers, still lost the game 89-88.
After the game, Yi commented on the incident, saying:
“I tried (the sponsor’s shoes) before the match, but didn’t feel very comfortable and could not make big movements. I also felt pain in the feet after some running.”
The incident landed Yi a one game suspension while the team recived a RMB50,000 fine.
Yi later posted a message on his Weibo account apologizing for the incident:
[Image via The Nanfang, Shanghai Daily]
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