INQUIRER Sports

WASHINGTON -- Yi Jianlian sprained his left knee in a National Basketball Association game Wednesday but told Chinese fans not to lose sleep worrying about whether he would be ready for the Beijing Olympics.

Yi played only five minutes and 40 seconds before suffering the injury 3:03 into the second quarter when struck on the outside of the knee while battling for a Milwaukee rebound in the Bucks' 110-109 victory over Washington.

"Someone was chipping in. They hit my knee and it twisted a little bit," Yi said through a translator. "Then I felt a little pop and I tried to run on it and I felt pain. I just can't put a lot of pressure on it."

An MRI exam Thursday will provide more details of the injury but China fans are already nervous after a season-ending broken left foot suffered by Houston star Yao Ming, who vows to be ready to play for China at Beijing in August.