Yi Jianlian of the Guangdong Southern Tigers suffered an Achilles tendon rupture during the clash with the Liaoning Flying Leopards in the Game 3 of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals on Saturday, Guangdong TV sports channel program Sports World reported.

"According to sources, Yi Jianlian's injury was a rupture of the Achilles tendon. We wish him a quick recovery," the Sports World program wrote on Chinese social medial platform Weibo.

Sports commentator Su Qun believed Yi's recovery will take at least one year.

In Game 3, Yi fell to the ground without confrontation, and then covered his foot with a very painful expression, shortly before Yi was sent back by his teammates to the locker room.

Later, the MVP of the season was carried on the back of his teammate Su Wei to share the precious moment at the award ceremony that Guangdong defeated Liaoning with a 123-115 victory to win their 10th CBA championship. 

During an interview with CCTV Sports after the game, Yi said he was grateful for all the medical staff fighting COVID-19 on the frontline.

"Medical workers dedicate lots of efforts in bringing our life back to normal so that sports can resume," Yi said.

He specially thanked China's top respiratory expert Zhong Nanshan and the fans of the Guangdong Southern Tigers.

Yi showed respect to his opponents, saying, "I learned a lot from our rivals throughout the season."

Speaking of his injures as a veteran player, Yi believed injuries could be part of the sport, adding that "persistence is our common goal as players."

"All the hard work pays off. Every championship is the result of all the team members' joint efforts," Yi said. 

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