Yi Left Off All-Star Ballot, China Gets Mad.

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

China media unhappy Yi off NBA ballot

November 16, 2007

BEIJING (AFP) - China's basketball press lamented Friday the absence of rookie Yi Jianlian from the 2008 NBA All Star ballot, reporting that the world's top basketball league may fear the voting power of Chinese fans.

Yi's name was absent from the ballot released Thursday in the United States, making it much more difficult for Chinese supporters of the Milwaukee Bucks power forward to vote for him to start in the annual All Star Game.

The 20-year-old rookie has impressed in his first month in the NBA, averaging 11 points and 6.9 rebounds a game and replacing Charlie Villanueva, who is on the ballot, as the Bucks starter.

Yi's absence dominated the sports pages of many Chinese newspapers on Friday.

"The NBA does not dare to put Yi Jianlian on the ballot because the voting power of Chinese fans is too big," Titan Sports Weekly said in an editorial.

"If the NBA put Yi Jianlian on the ballot without careful consideration ... he would surely start for the East.

"The NBA fears that if a guy like Yi becomes an All Star and only scores two points in the game, they would lose the meaning of the All Star (game)."

The editorial referred to when Yao Ming won the fan vote in 2003 and shocked the basketball world by starting at centre for the NBA's West All Stars, beating out dominant big man and NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal.

Yao has been voted an All Star starter every year since, largely depending on his Chinese following -- who, like all NBA fans, can vote online and vote repeatedly.

NBA officials here have said Chinese fans are a significant factor in the All Star voting, but they have refused to say how many votes have come from the world's most populous nation.


The all-star game has been a joke for a while, now...

[7even]

As soon as he's on the ballot, which is next year (or even this year if China lobbies for it), much better players like Garnett or LeBron will be off the Starting 5 for their lifetime... pathetic.

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Stupid Chinese. The NBA needs an All-Star voting system similar to the NFL.

[GangstaBoogy]

Lol I didn't even think about him making the All-Star team. Yeah he'll be starting every year starting next season even if he only averages 5ppg and 7 rpg. He'll Michael Redd might even be starting now 

[Lunatic]

LOL weak
i'm tired of China fuckin up are all-star game

[Don Jacob]

why should he be on the ballot?

[Lunatic]

why should he be on the ballot?

cuz he's chinese

[Fuck Your Existence]

Stupid Chinese. The NBA needs an All-Star voting system similar to the NFL.

[Styles1]

In the voice of a certain Dry Cleaning personel: No Ballot Tick-ey, No All Star Game

[Tay]

Put up All-Star numbers and you can be on the All-Star team. He will probably play in the Rookie game, isn't that good enough?

[Snoopafly-1986]

why should he be on the ballot?

[boycriedwolf619]

why should he be on the ballot?