Milwaukee Bucks pick Yi Jianlian in this year's draft

The Milwaukee Bucks said they've made a global impact by selecting Chinese forward Yi Jianlian.

But that's only if they can get Yi, selected with the sixth pick in the NBA draft, to a city his handlers had shunned in the weeks leading up to Thursday.

Disregarding his desire to play in a city with a heavy Asian influence -- there are only about 27,500 Asian Americans in Milwaukee -- the Bucks picked the 2.13m forward to become the fourth Chinese player to make the NBA.

The question is whether he'll ever wear a Bucks uniform.

"I think so," Yi said. "It's a surprise to me. ... I'm not really familiar with the city as well, but I'm happy to be playing with the team and happy to play in the NBA."

Bucks general manager Larry Harris said Yi was rated third on the Bucks' draft board, and will showcase Milwaukee to China.

"It's global now," Harris said. "Chinese basketball is huge and it's growing and to have one of their countrymen that is actually very, very good and can play and is young and can be here for a long time, I don't know how it's not a windfall for us."

There's no guarantee he'll make the same impact as Yao Ming, his national teammate selected by the Houston Rockets with the first pick in 2002.

Questions about his defense, strength and age surround Yi, who has been protected by handlers who wanted him in a city like Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia or San Francisco.

Agent Dan Fegan did not allow the Bucks to hold a private workout or see Yi, but did allow teams as low as Philadelphia, with the 12th pick, to take a look at one of the draft's most unknown talents during a workout in Los Angeles. Harris said Philadelphia was among several teams that called and tried to trade for the pick.

Yi said the Bucks never watched him work out in China, either, but Harris said that wasn't accurate.

"We felt comfortable from our standpoint, we did not need to go out there to confirm or deny our own feelings about Yi as a player," Harris said of the Los Angeles workout. "We spent a week in Qatar to see him play ... We saw him in Japan for the world championships. We saw him in the Olympics three years ago. We've been to China. We've estimated we've seen him over 20 times in the last four years. Rest assured, we know him."

Fan reaction at the Bradley Center, where the Bucks play, was mixed.

"I played for a national team for a couple of years, I think I'm ready," Yi said.