By sportswriter Su Bin

BEIJING, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Sprinting and leaping for a one-handed slam dunk - what Yi Jinhong did in just two seconds exactly mirrored his journey of chasing the dream of playing professional basketball.

With less than one minute remaining and an 18-point lead, Yi's scintillating play was the icing on the cake for his side, the Beijing Royal Fighters, in a 125-109 home win against the Jilin Northeast Tigers on Tuesday.

But it still signified a lot for a former amateur player who earned the chance of competing in China's top-flight professional basketball league through perseverance and hard work.

Known for his stunning springing ability and explosive slam dunks, Yi, who hails from Yuxi, in southwest China's Yunnan Province, is known as the "Yunnan Glider", with video clips of his dunks going viral online over recent years.

Witnessing Michael Jordan's dunks for the first time when he was in junior high school, Yi made up his mind that he wanted to emulate his hero.

However, in mountainous Yunnan Province, it was not easy for Yi to hone his skills. He didn't even have his own basketball, and no teacher was around to offer guidance.

Undeterred, and looking to improve his jumping ability, Yi tied sandbags to his legs before running and frog-jumping on the road.

After enrolling at Yuxi Normal University in 2012, he spent most of his time training. In the spring semester of his freshman year, Yi managed to achieve his first slam dunk.

"I was only 1.75 meters tall then. The feeling of flying was so good," he recalled.

It was during his college years that he won the nickname of "Yunnan Glider", but what truly connected him with China's elite basketball league was the 2019-20 CBA All-Star Weekend Slam Dunk Contest where he won the title with a total of 95 points as a wildcard participant on January 12, 2020.

"Today I came here, standing for all the grassroots players," he said then, with tears in his eyes. "I really hope I can inspire them with a never-say-die spirit."

Yi shot to fame after that, and now has over two million followers on Douyin, China's version of TikTok.

For Yi, it took another three years to transfer from a slam dunk champion at the CBA All-Star Weekend to a player in the league.

July 15, 2023 is a date that Yi will never forget, as it was then that he was selected by the Royal Fighters in the 2023 CBA Draft.

After hearing his name called, Yi, who was then approaching 30, could not hold back his tears.

Meanwhile, some doubts started to creep in. "Standing 1.78 meters tall, without undergoing any professional training, and having only showcased my slam dunk prowess before, could I consolidate my position in the CBA?"

"The competitiveness of training is fine, but I lag behind in physicality and tactics," he admitted in an interview.

After joining the Royal Fighters, Yi didn't see a single minute of action across the team's first 50 matches in the current campaign.

"I was depressed. It was not because I didn't play, but because I was at the lowest level within the team and I didn't deserve the chance of playing," he remarked.

In May 2019, Yi quit his job at a state-owned enterprise and founded a sports company with his friends in Kunming, Yunnan's capital.

He could have had a better life with his slam dunks, but he felt that his dream of playing professional basketball kept burning.

"Though many people began to know me because of my slam dunks, I always had a dream of playing 5-on-5 basketball," he said.

Despite not playing, Yi made his contributions to the team in his own way. As coach Min Lulei and teammates said, Yi has kept passing on energy to the team and has been an important member of the Royal Fighters family.

The 30-year-old finally saw his chance arrive.

In the Royal Fighters' final home game of the 2023-24 regular season, Yi shot two of nine to finish with five points in seven minutes of action on his CBA debut, which also marked a milestone for grassroots players.

"He is a nice guy, quite humble. Although he didn't play much time, he did a lot for our team. We wanted to offer the opportunity to the player who grew up in the mountainous area," explained Min after Tuesday's game.

"Many thanks for everyone's support and encouragement along the way, which always motivates me to march forward. I'm not an expressive person, but I have embraced everyone thousands of times deep in my heart and appreciated your support. I will, like always, do my best and keep going," Yi wrote on China's popular social network Sina Weibo.

After the game, Yi was lifted by his teammates in celebration, like a player who had just scored 50 points or hit a buzzer-beater.

"Was it worth the journey to get here?" someone asked Yi in the locker room.

"Yes, absolutely," he answered without hesitation. Enditem

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