Yi puts foot in it over sponsor dispute

The Chinese Basketball Association has banned star player Yi Jianlian for his protest against the league's sneaker policy, while experts urged both sides to reflect on the dispute.

As China's most popular current player, Yi's much-anticipated return to the CBA on Wednesday, after a short spell with the NBA franchise Los Angeles Lakers, turned out to be a farce. The star forward of Guangdong Southern Tigers stormed off the court in the game against Shenzhen in protest of a rule that requires all players to wear sneakers provided by the league sponsor.

Midway through the second quarter of the game, Yi suddenly stopped playing, removed a pair of Li-Ning sneakers and threw them on the court before walking back to the locker room barefoot, leaving the crowd stunned.