Chinese star Yi says his decision to snub Bucks

BEIJING (AFP) - Chinese teen star Yi Jianlian has broken his silence following a torrent of criticism about his refusal to move to the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA, saying it was his decision alone not to play there.

The 19-year-old was was chosen by the Bucks as the No 6 pick in last month's NBA draft but has refused to go there, reportedly because he would not get enough playing time and that too few Chinese lived in Milwaukee.

The seven-foot (2.12-metre) power forward's US agent, Dan Fegan, has been portrayed in China as one of the main villain's in the affair.
But Yi made clear it was his decision, and not Fegan's, in wanting to be traded to another team.

"I've read some of the reports but I don't think he has made too many decisions for me," Yi told Chinese reporters while training with the national team in Beijing on Thursday, and his comments were carried by the China Daily.

"It's clear that he works for me, so everything he is doing is based on my ideas," Yi said.

Chinese fans and the media, as well as Houston Rockets star Yao Ming, have urged Yi to stand up for himself and make his thoughts known as the stand-off has reached near-embarrassing proportions.

"Yi must walk his own road," Yao said earlier this month. "Chinese players are very modest, but this does not mean that he should not make his own feelings known."

Despite Yi's insistence that he is walking his own road, Chinese sporting authorities in reality have a lot of say over his career -- and they have expressed their desire for him to play with another NBA team.

The Chinese Basketball Association and his Chinese club, the Guangdong Tigers, have to release Yi before he can play with any other team.