Watching his face on tall and fancy digital billboards in Milwaukee, Yi Jianlian has his feet firmly planted on the ground as he enters his rookie season in the National Basketball Association.

The 2.12m hoop treasure has been the center of attention since joining the Bucks training camp on October 5. After spending a couple of days with his new teammates and coaches, Yi understands he will face challenges both on and off the court, just like all the other rookies in the league.

China's Yi Jianlian (R), the sixth pick in the 2007 NBA draft, takes a jump shot in his first game at the Milwaukee Bucks' scrimmage on Saturday. Yi scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. [Xinhua] Yi attended a grand welcome ceremony by the local Chinese community yesterday. Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett named October 7 "Yi's Day".

"All the rookies will have some tough times in the NBA, I am no exception," Yi told Sohu.com. "For sure I am aware of the difficulties ahead of me, so I'm going to work harder to earn my place on the team."

"I think most important for me now is to develop myself, and then in the long run I can do more for the team," said the rookie. "I should practice more to know more about the defense here so we can do better."

"On the freeway I saw a big electronic billboard and my picture was on it," Yi said through an interpreter. "It was a big surprise to me and it made me feel excited. It's a beautiful city, nice downtown, you've got a lake, you've got a river It seems comfortable here."

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