Two local Yi fan clubs started shortly following the Bucks' first-round selection of Yi at the June 28 NBA draft.,”The Milwaukee Bucks' signing of 7-foot power forward Yi Jianlian is not only making waves in the sports world. The team's draft of the 19-year-old from China means a lot to his fans here and overseas.

Two local Yi fan clubs started shortly following the Bucks' first-round selection of Yi at the June 28 NBA draft. And Marquette student April Qi said she is trying to start another fan club on campus.

Qi and Janet Lu, both freshmen in the College of Business Administration, welcomed Yi to the United States when he flew into O'Hare International Airport in Chicago Oct. 3.

"It was really, really fun and cool," Lu said. "We heard he was coming and I didn't want to miss it."

They joined about 50 other people in greeting Yi at the airport, where the two Yi fan clubs were "fighting for position" to get closest to him, Lu said.

But there was doubt Yi would even come to Milwaukee following the draft. His agents lobbied for a trade to another team, perhaps in a city with a larger Chinese population than that of Milwaukee. But Bucks team owner and president Sen. Herb Kohl and general manager Larry Harris met with Yi and his representatives in China in August to broker a deal.

"Their major concern was that Yi would have equal opportunity to develop his skills with the Bucks," Kohl said during a media teleconference call from China Aug. 29. "When that came down to it, it was not a question of our city or of the composition of our city in terms of its diversity, but rather a question almost entirely of is he going to have a full chance and full opportunity to play and develop and grow in Milwaukee."

Yi is getting significant playing time as a rookie, averaging 26 minutes per game in the first four games of the regular season that began Oct. 31.

Jason Li, director of the Mercan Chinese Language Institute, 2300 N. Mayfair Rd., said he knew Yi would eventually come to Milwaukee. The Chinese language training organization sponsors Yifansclub.org.

"Even before draft night, we all hoped Yi would join the Bucks," Li said. "But when the facts came through and the Bucks picked up Yi, it was so exciting."

Yifansclub.org has nearly 1,000 registered members, about half of them from China, Li said.

The other fan club, whose Web site is yifansclub.com, is a registered nonprofit organization. The site averages 4,000 hits a day, and it reached 7,000 visitors on Nov. 3, according to Dian Wang, the group's president.

Wang said his group formed in July when members of the Milwaukee Chinese community gathered to sign a letter of support to Yi.

Both Wang and Li said members of their clubs were at the Bucks home opener Saturday night, and they expect many more to attend games this season. Wang's group purchased 17 season tickets from the Bucks this year, he said.

Lu, who attended Saturday's game, said fans were excited for Yi's Milwaukee on-court premier.

"It was good to see him," Lu said. "Whenever he got in, people were screaming 'Yi!' "

People are also cheering for Yi in China, where 35 Bucks games will be shown live this season, according to the Bucks. Chinese television reported 100 million viewers tuned in to the Bucks game Sunday morning in China, according to the China Daily newspaper.

Li said Yi's coming to Milwaukee is a big event in China, but his presence also has positive implications for business and tourism here.

"I think Yi is an ambassador between Milwaukee and China," Li said.

China is also home to Houston Rockets 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming. The Bucks will play the Rockets Friday in Houston and Feb. 2 at the Bradley Center.

Qi, who emigrated from China in 2006, said she plans to attend that home game. Both players are stars in China, but Qi said she's leaning toward one over the other.

"I'm rooting for Yi, I think."

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