Yi Jianlian is not here for Li-Ning's bullshit stranglehold on the Chinese Basketball Association. The former NBA lottery pick is currently playing hoops in China for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, where a rule exists that all players must wear Li-Ning kicks on the court and he's simply not going to stand for that.
Yi, a longtime endorser for Nike, protested the CBA's sneaker policy in a recent game by removing his Li-Ning shoes in the middle of the paint and subbing himself out of the game. He later returned wearing the Nike HyperDunk 2016, so get ready for that "Banned" Nike HyperDunk 2016 Yi Jianlian PE!
According to reports, the 7'0 big man feels that the Li-Ning shoes are wildly discomfortable but he probably should have thought of that before trading in a spot on the Lakers bench to go play in the CBA.
It's unclear what kind of punishment he'll face from the league but if the CBA uniform policy is anything like the NFL, Yi Jianlian will probably be kicked out of the country for this protest.
