8 months after disappearing, face the camera: Yi Jianlian CCTV interview reveals basketball life and storm

Speaking of Chinese basketball, Yi Jianlian is always an unavoidable topic. The three words "Yi Jianlian" have even surpassed the scope of athletes themselves.

21 years of career, 16 years of CBA journey, local players have second scores in history and historical coordinates of rebounding kings, 14 All-Stars, 7 championships, 5 regular season MVPs, 3 finals MVPs, and 625 appearances in the CBA. Behind the glorious honor, there are too many topics.

There were explosive public opinion eight months ago, and brand endorsements were terminated one after another. After vanishing for 8 months, the 36-year-old finally "returned" in another way.

The CBA officially set sail in 1995. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of this year, CCTV's "Basketball Park" CBA League special program, the first episode of the protagonists are not players such as Liu Yudong, Wang Zhizhi, and Yao Ming, but Yi Jianlian.

This is also the first time he has accepted an in-depth interview with official media since the storm in October last year. The news boiled instantly as soon as it was released: the topics of "Brother is finally back" and "Waiting for Alien to talk about the past" continued to rise.

From "disappearance" to "return": A late conversation

Yi Jianlian retired in 2023. A year later, in October 2024, rumors of Yi Jianlian's fierce news were rampant. Although the official statement of investigation, it has not been confirmed to this day. However, the public opinion storm still made this veteran who has always been low-key choose to "silence".

Although Yi Jianlian attended the Soong Ching Ling Foundation Board of Directors as a guest on March 14 this year, it did not attract much attention due to the theme of the meeting and the differences in the participants.

Now, CCTV's CBA 30 years has become a topic and media that he cannot avoid, and his appearance interview seems to be regarded as an important footnote to this storm.

As "Basketball Park", which is almost the same age as CBA, witnesses the transformation of CBA from rash to professionalism, and also witnesses the rise of Yi Jianlian. Every dunk, every mid-range shot, and every key block are faithfully included by the program camera.

The players who grew up with the CBA are actually more of a say in Wang Zhizhi than Yi Jianlian. The championships in the first six seasons were monopolized by the Bayi team where Wang Zhizhi was, and Wang Zhizhi is also an indispensable and important player for the Bayi team to win the championship.

Let’s talk about historical achievements, Yao Ming has achieved higher achievements than him. Why did you choose Yi Jianlian? The answer is not only his achievements, but more importantly, to give the fans an explanation, especially Yi Jianlian, who has experienced the highlights and troughs of Chinese basketball, and this experience itself is the best story. The first talk after the storm: What will you say?

Face the camera again, what will Yi Jianlian say? For fans, of course, what I want to hear the most is the truth and falseness of his public opinion eight months ago.

But CCTV's "Basketball Park" is not a gossip entertainment program, but an eyewitness and witness to the growth, development and ups and downs of Chinese basketball.

The reason why he chose Yi Jianlian in the first phase is because his 21-year career and 16-year CBA history covers most of the 30-year CBA, and he is also a participant and witness.

Looking back at the past, Dwight Howard, who fought against the "American Dream Team Eighth Team" at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, fought for Spain with injuries in the 2019 Basketball World Cup, and the past will appear before his eyes.

And today's Chinese men's basketball team is in a low point; after retirement, Yi Jianlian also started youth training. As a record and telling about Chinese basketball, "Basketball Park", we also hope to present a three-dimensional Yi Jianlian to everyone through exchanges and interviews.

Please stay tuned and wait for an answer together

From the niche conference in March to the exclusive interview with "Basketball Park", it is an important public event that Yi Jianlian is extremely scarce after the storm. It secretly matches the rhythm of Chinese basketball looking for direction from the trough.

Choosing CCTV, the most credible sports media, to speak out is undoubtedly a key step for him to reconnect with the public and face the past. The program team's choice of Yi Jianlian to take on the highlight of the CBA 30th Anniversary series also fits the public's high concern about the recent situation of the former men's basketball leader.

Compared to those gossip fans who are trying to find the truth about public opinion eight months ago, as old fans, I want to hear that familiar voice again - "I'll do this ball."

When the opening song of "Basketball Park" sounded, Yi Jianlian said the first sentence "Hello everyone" in the camera, perhaps all the speculation about the storm would disappear. After all, for a player who writes loyalty with 21 years of youth, the best response has always been on the court, in those unrecorded training at 4 a.m., and in his unabashed love for basketball.

Yi Jianlian's basketball story has long gone beyond his personal scope and has become a common memory of a generation of fans. When the familiar "big brother" returns to the screen, fans are eager to hear his candid review of the glorious years and pay more attention to how he interprets the ups and downs. This official endorsement interview will undoubtedly add a strong mark to the 30-year picture of Chinese basketball.