Former Maverick, Yi Jianlian Coming Back to NBA

Former Dallas Maverick, Yi Jianlian, looks to be headed back to the NBA as he is reportedly signing with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yi Jianlian, the 28-year old big man from China, spent five seasons in the NBA after being selected 6th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. After bouncing around the league, Jianlian found himself spending the 2012 season in Dallas before heading back to China the next season.

Now, Jianlian is headed back to the NBA according to ESPN.

Jianlian comes into LA where he looks to be a backup big man behind Timofey Mozgov and provide a veteran presence to the younger, budding stars on the team.

But what did his last year in the league look like back in 2012 for the Dallas Mavericks?

Yi Jianlian played in just 30 games for the Mavericks where he averaged just 2.6 ppg on seven minutes a game. It was a bench role for the then 24-year old in Dallas and it seems to be a similar role for the now 28-year old in LA.

Even though his time in Dallas was short lived, someone felt the need to create a top 5 plays in Dallas highlight reel for the big man.

Yi has played in the China Basketball Association for the Guangdong Southern Tigers the past few seasons where he has cemented his place as one of the best players in China history.

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Now, the former Maverick comes back to the NBA looking to have a bigger impact than his previous stint.