Yi Jianlian earned 100 million in the NBA, so how much did he earn in the CBA? Netizen: Unbelievable

As one of the representative figures of Chinese basketball, Yi Jianlian's career is full of legends. From entering the CBA League in 2002 to announcing his retirement in 2023, Yi Jianlian has fought in the basketball court for 21 years. He is known as the pillar of the men's basketball team in the "post-Yao Ming era" and has made outstanding contributions to the development of Chinese basketball. In 2007, Yi Jianlian was selected by the Bucks in the sixth pick in the first round. He was the same as Durant, Noah, Horford, Conley and many other talented players all over the United States, and he also became another dazzling star in Chinese basketball in the international arena after Yao Ming.

During his five-year career in the NBA, Yi Jianlian has played for the Bucks, Nets, Wizards and Mavericks. Although his resume in the NBA is not dazzling, Yi Jianlian still won the love and respect of many fans with his outstanding performance and tenacious fighting spirit. In addition, during the NBA competition, Yi Jianlian's total salary reached US$14.09 million, which is about RMB 100 million. So for comparison, how much salary did Yi Jianlian earn in the CBA league? Let’s take a look together below.

Returning to Yi Jianlian's CBA career, he was really honorable and achieved remarkable achievements. Since entering the CBA in 2002, Yi Jianlian has been selected for the national team in just two years and became the youngest regular season MVP in the CBA the following year. During his 16-year CBA career, Yi Jianlian has won many honors such as seven CBA championships, five regular season MVPs, three finals MVPs and one best defensive player. He has won almost all important awards in the CBA League and is an iconic figure in Guangdong Hongyuan and even the entire CBA League.

However, compared with the brilliant achievements made in the CBA, Yi Jianlian's revenue in the CBA is not as dazzling as his performance on the field. There is a big gap between the CBA and the NBA in terms of business operations, market value, and salary levels. Despite this, Yi Jianlian's salary is still far beyond that of most domestic players.

Yi Jianlian's income in the CBA mainly includes wages, bonuses, and commercial endorsements. In terms of salary, as the core player of Guangdong Hongyuan team, Yi Jianlian has always enjoyed the team's maximum salary. According to public reports, in 2016, he signed a four-year contract with Guangdong Hongyuan team with a total value of more than 60 million yuan, with an average annual salary of about 15 million yuan. In 2020, Yi Jianlian renewed his contract with Guangdong Hongyuan team again. Although the contract amount has not been clearly announced, according to industry insiders, its annual salary remains between 15 million and 20 million yuan.

At the same time, in terms of bonuses, as the core player of the team, Yi Jianlian can receive corresponding championship bonuses and performance bonuses whenever the team wins the championship or achieves excellent results. Taking Guangdong Hongyuan team won the CBA championship for two consecutive years in 2019 and 2020 as an example, Yi Jianlian, as the absolute core of the team, received millions of yuan in championship bonuses, with the amount of each championship bonus ranging from millions of yuan.

To sum up, during the 16 years he played in the CBA, Yi Jianlian's cumulative income was about 180 million yuan, plus his 100 million yuan in the NBA, a total of 280 million yuan. And it should be noted that if you include additional income such as advertising endorsement and commercial investment, Yi Jianlian has earned at least 300 million yuan in his entire basketball career. However, for Yi Jianlian, these numbers are the rewards he deserves for years of hard work in the basketball court.