Bo Jackson and his representatives instructed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to not select him in the 1986 NFL Draft. The Buccaneers selected him in the 1986 NFL Draft. Yi Jianlian and his representatives instructed the Milwaukee Bucks to not select him in the 2007 NBA Draft. The Bucks selected him in the 2007 NBA Draft. Although Jianlian’s reputation and potential did not precede him in the fashion that Jackson’s did, they both reside in a surprisingly large population of professional athletes that advise various teams to pass on them. Some believe this dramatically impacts their subsequent career. Was this the case with Jianlian?
The Bucks convinced/desperately recruited the 20-year-old phenom to southeastern Wisconsin prior to the 2007-08 NBA season and while he managed a couple decent seasons in the U.S, he hopped back to China after the 2011-12 season and was quickly forgotten. Luckily for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, he has had zero issues in becoming a dominating player in his home country.
Who else is on the Tigers’ roster? Emmanuel Mudiay.
The blue chip recruit pledged his commitment to Larry Brown and his revived Southern Methodist program before electing for a stint overseas to help his financially strapped family. He landed in China with the Tigers and, like Jianlin, is finding success in the Chinese Basketball Association. Despite only playing four games together, the two have established themselves as one of the best 1-2 punches in the league. Mudiay, a likely top five selection in the 2015 NBA Draft dropped a triple-double on the Qingdao Double Star Eagles on Sunday. Check out the highlights below:
Entering Wednesday’s game, Jianlian (24.3 points per game) and Mudiay (19.8) are leading a serious offensive onslaught for the Tigers. They also combine to provide nearly 18 boards and eight assists while shooting 48 percent from beyond the arc.
Jianlian might be in China for good (although rumors continue to float that he’ll make an NBA comeback in 2015 or 2016) , but it’s in the best interest of diehard NBA fans to keep an eye on Mudiay, as he will become a very rich man eight months from now and could become the No. 1 overall selection if the cards fall right.
