Hitting the hardwood in the NBA, is apparently not what Chinese forward Yi Jianlian will be doing this winter. With the LA Lakers needing to trim their roster down to 15 players by Monday evening, and the seven-footer squarely on the bubble, multiple websites in the US are reporting that he has requested his release ahead of the final cuts.

Yi was attempting an NBA comeback in Los Angeles. The number six pick in the 2007 draft, he spent five seasons in the league with the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Washington Wizards, and Dallas Mavericks. Yi returned to the CBA in late 2012, and won four straight Domestic Player of the Year awards with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, before signing with the Lakers in August.