When an exciting new basketball talent emerges in China, numbers tend to become part of his identity. With the mention of his name you'll likely hear his height, shoe size, chest width, scoring average, and number of rebounds, assists and slam dunks he picks up in a game. It all sounds very scientific, until you ask what you might think would be a fairly straightforward question: how old is he?
To that, there's generally no short answer. For example, Guangdong Tigers' 2.12-metre star Yi Jianlian is officially listed as being born on October 27, 1987, meaning he will turn 19 this year. But conflicting documents and reports, not to mention several basketball experts, say he is either 21 or 22.
To a hot basketball talent the difference is critical as China will not let any of its young stars play in the NBA before they are at least 22, in part as a paternalistic protection method, and in part a mechanism to ensure the domestic clubs get a few good years out of their best players before they head for greener pastures.
But age-rigging is rampant in Chinese sporting circles, and the confusion is compounded by the fact the athletes' age can be adjusted both ways, sometimes up, to enable a high school kid to play university games, and sometimes down, so an older player can appear to be eligible for an underage category.
For the scouts, it adds a very unwelcome cloud of uncertainty. 'If Yi Jianlian is 22 this year that's one thing, but if he's only 19 this year then he has a lot more growth potential. That would probably make him a more exciting prospect than Yao Ming,' said Arthur Volbert, a Florida-based basketball writer who has been following Chinese players for the past 20 years.
Either way, Yi (pictured) is 'an exceptional player, good enough to play in the NBA right now', said Mark Fischer, a vice-president of the NBA who heads up the league's China operation. But while Chinese officials agree, they are sticking to the letter of the law so he won't be able to mix with the big boys for another three years.