Bucks' owner Herb Kohl downplayed his personal role in the Yi Jianlian discussions and discounted his status as a U.S. senator playing an important part.

"It was a team effort," Kohl said. "John (Steinmiller, the team's vice president of business operations) and Ron and Larry Harris and myself were working on this thing on a daily basis. Another person, Mike Burr (Bucks chief financial officer) was a big part of this effort.

"I wouldn't say one person was most instrumental. Everyone doing his little bit made up a very strong whole. Working together we got something done."

Kohl declined to divulge the transfer fee the Bucks paid the Guangdong team to release Yi to the NBA, but the senator said it was "in that modest range to get a player released from a foreign team."