Yi Story Fake?
So apparently the the Reuters report I cited earlier this week regarding Yi not playing in Milwaukee has been exposed as being bogus. According to a story on NBADraft.net, the story that cited Guangdong Tigers chief Chen Haitao as saying Yi would “definitely not” play in Milwaukee has been denied by Chen himself plus a Guangdong Tigers Vice President who responded with two words - “BS”. It still remains to be seen if Yi will in fact play in Milwaukee, but as I said in previous entries, I know Yi would find Milwaukee and Bucks fans to be as supportive as any fans in the NBA. Most folks I’ve talked to are downright excited about the possibility of Yi playing in Milwaukee, and as I’ve said before, I believe Yi could grow to really love Milwaukee.
I’ve read and heard that Yi’s reluctance to play in Milwaukee has a lot to do with his Nike contract, in that the contract likely paid considerably more in a bigger market. Now I understand that a lot of what happens in the NBA - and in any professional sports for that matter - is about dollars and cents, but from my perspective, Yi’s got a chance to come to a great basketball town and become a player that the team builds their marketing efforts around. If Yi’s as good as advertised, he won’t need to worry about less money from a Nike contract, because no matter what market he plays in he’s bound to have virtually limitless opportunities for endorsement deals - both on a local and national level - because he’s a player that has broad international appeal, and that’s something you can’t put a price tag on.