and in Game 3 of the playoff series, Yi played in his first NBA playoffs game, where he scored two points for the team in five minutes. Third stint in Guangdong (2012–present) Yi re-joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers for the 2012–13 CBA season and went on to win a fourth championship that season. On August 22, 2016, Yi signed a one-year, $8 million contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, returning to the NBA for the first time since 2012. Lakers head coach Luke Walton considered Yi to be the team's best-shooting big man during the preseason, but did not provide Yi with much of a role. Yi averaged 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per game over six contests with the Lakers during the preseason. Feeling he would have better opportunities elsewhere, Yi requested a release from the Lakers prior to the start of the regular season. The Lakers waived him on October 24, 2016. In October 2016, Yi returned to Guangdong after spending training camp with the Los Angeles Lakers. On August 15, 2020, Yi helped the Guangdong Southern Tigers in winning their 10th CBA Championship after a 123–115 win in Game 3 of the CBA Finals over the Liaoning Flying Leopards, but Yi had suffered a ruptured Achilles' tendon during the game and was expected to miss a major part of 2020–21 CBA season due to rehabilitation. National team career Yi's first major international experience came at the 2003 FIBA Under-19 World Championship in which he averaged 18.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. He made his debut with the Chinese national basketball team during the 2004 Summer Olympics and averaged 6 points and 6 rebounds per game at the 2006 FIBA World Championship. His performance impressed coaches on the Chinese national team as well as the coaches from other countries. In 2008, Yi was once again selected to play for the Chinese national team at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In China's first two group stage matches, Yi scored 9 and 4 points respectively, and China lost both their games against the United States and Spain. But in a win against Angola, Yi recorded a double-double, and in a win against Germany, Yi recorded 9 points and 11 rebounds, and hit the crucial shot with 28 seconds left to help China advance to the quarter-finals. However, Lithuania ended China's run by beating them 94–68, as Yi