Renowned Chinese basketball star Yi Jianlian announced his retirement last year, but recently he has found himself at the center of a scandal involving alleged involvement with a transgender individual in a sex transaction. Disturbing images have surfaced online, including a photo purportedly showing Yi’s identification alongside explicit content, leaving fans shocked and disappointed. However, the allegations have yet to be officially confirmed.

According to various media reports, a transgender person claims that they met with Yi for paid services, during which he allegedly paid $1,500. However, the individual reportedly took a picture of Yi in a compromising position, along with his ID that indicates his birth date as October 27, 1987, which aligns with his official records.

The news rapidly circulated across social media platforms and even trended on Weibo, with many fans expressing their astonishment. However, some internet users pointed out potential discrepancies; they noted that Yi’s social security number matches a birth date of 1984, casting doubt on the authenticity of the leaked images and suggesting the possibility of fabrication by the accuser. So far, Yi has not publicly addressed the situation.

Reports indicate that this scandal has quickly gained traction online. Prior to this incident, Yi Jianlian was associated with around 20 brands as an endorser or collaborator. Currently, only seven brands—Nike, Debon Express, L’Oréal Men, Instant Electric Vehicles, IndivBio, Zhongti Card Industry, and IM-BODY—still have posts featuring him on their official Weibo accounts. The other brands have removed all references to Yi from their pages.

Yi Jianlian is known as the fourth Chinese player to enter the NBA and is often seen as Yao Ming’s successor. He played in the NBA for five seasons, representing teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, and Dallas Mavericks, with career averages of 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. He returned to the CBA in 2012 and had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2016 before returning to the Chinese league.

Throughout his CBA career, Yi has been selected an All-Star 12 times, won seven championships, and earned two Finals MVP awards. On the international stage, he has achieved a gold medal at the 2006 Doha Asian Games, a silver at the Asian Championship, three gold medals at the same championship, and two MVP awards.