Guangdong Hongyuan retired jersey number

Guangdong Hongyuan’s retired jersey number is No. 9.

On December 29, 2002, the match between Guangdong Hongyuan and Jilin Team in the 2002-2003 CBA League was held at the Dongguan Gymnasium. This was Yi Jianlian’s first professional appearance on behalf of the South China Tigers. On December 29, 2023, on the 21st anniversary of the UAE's CBA debut, Guangdong Hongyuan Basketball Club held a retirement ceremony for Yi Jianlian's No. 9 jersey in Dongguan's home game against Zhejiang Guangsha Team.

The club prepared red No. 9 T-shirts for all fans who came to watch the game. When the fans entered the stadium, a sea of ??red appeared on the scene. Arab League sat on the sidelines in a suit. Sitting with him were his former coaches Li Chunjiang and Zhang Yongjun, as well as his national team teammates Li Nan, Battelle, and Sun Yue, as well as Wang Shipeng, Chen Jianghua, and Su Wei. , Zhao Rui and many other old friends of the Guangdong team. The fans chanted UAE's name and he waved from time to time.

Fans’ blessings to Yi Jianlian

Outside the arena, a special photo exhibition with the theme of “Basketball City Yi Jianlian and a City” was on display. The entire exhibition recalled the stories written by Yi Jianlian. A career full of sweat and achievements, and his touching feeling of growing up together with the "Basketball City" of Dongguan. At the same time, a group of landmark buildings in Dongguan's central city, ten kilometers away from the arena, collectively turned on their lights, presenting "Yi" to Yi Jianlian "from a distance". The voice of "Yi" came from the citizens and the city. While blessing the UAE, we also pay tribute to the spirit of basketball.

On the evening of December 29, 2023, under the gorgeous lights, the animated version of Arab League wearing the No. 9 jersey dribbled for a layup and dominated the court, with sincere blessings behind him in the central city of Dongguan City landmarks such as the Minying International Trade Building, the Taiwan Commercial Building, and the Dongguan Rural Commercial Bank Head Office Building appeared one after another. Heart-warming slogans such as "Rookie No. 9, see you in the second half, retirement is not the end, and you will still be a teenager when you return" instantly formed a dazzling scene. Starlight lights up the city night sky.