Chinese basketball star Yi Jianlian's impressive performance at the recently concluded Rio Olympics has earned him a one-year contract with NBA team Los Angeles Lakers. The contract would mark Yi's return to the NBA after almost four years.    

The one-year contract was agreed upon last week, but was made official only on Monday, NBC Sport reported.  The contract will fetch Jianlian $1.1 million, which reach up to $8 million with bonuses.      

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"We're excited to have a player of his worldwide accomplishments," Laker's General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. ""We look forward to bringing him to training camp and hopefully having him make an impact on our team."      

Yi averaged 20.4 points and 6.6 rebounds during China's highly disappointing campaign at the Rio Olympics. China lost all its five group matches, including a 62-119 loss against the US.

Yi made his NBA debut in 2007 with the Milwaukee Bucks. He later played for three other NBA teams; New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, and Dallas Mavericks. His last NBA stint was with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2011-12 season. Since 2012, Yi has been playing in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

Yi has a huge fan base in China. He is a four-time CBA champion and winner of three gold medals at the FIBA Asia Championships and a gold medal at the 2006 Asian Games.

TagsYi Jianlian, china, Chinese Players NBA, chinese basketball association, Chinese Basketball Stars