Report: Yi asks for release from Lakers, will be waived

Yi Jianlian's NBA comeback with the Los Angeles Lakers has apparently come to an end before it even officially started.

The Chinese big man has reportedly requested his release from the team that signed him only two months ago, and is expected to be waived Monday, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

Yi and his representatives asked for his release because the former sixth overall pick didn't get the role he expected to have with the team, Stein reports.

The Lakers signed the 28-year-old to a reported $8-million contract - though the deal was said to be guaranteed for only $1 million - in mid-August, shortly after Yi competed in the Olympics.

Yi appeared in six preseason games, averaging three points and 2.5 blocks on 35 percent shooting in less than 11 minutes.

After being drafted by Milwaukee in 2007, Yi averaged 7.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in five seasons with the Bucks, Nets, Wizards, and Mavericks, before heading back to China to play for the Guangdong Southern Tigers.