Recently signed Los Angeles Lakers guard Sun Yue will be sidelined indefinitely as a result of being tested positive for mononucleosis, it was reported on Friday.
Sun became ill Wednesday night and was taken to an area hospital, said the Los Angeles Times, quoting John Black, the Lakers executive vice president of public relations.
Sun, a member of China's national team, is not expected to practice when the Lakers begin training camp next week at their headquarters in El Segundo, Los Angeles, Black said.
Sun's diagnosis came one day after he conducted a well-attended introductory news conference, where he said the Lakers "were always my favorite team" and expressed his familiarity with their triangle offense,which has been known to befuddle rookies.
The Lakers drafted the 6-foot-9 Sun in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft and signed him to a two-year contract last month.
Sun averaged 6.8 points in six games in the Beijing Olympics, as China finished eighth in the men's basketball tournament with a 2-4 record.
Sun, 22, is expected to be the Lakers' third-string point guard behind Derek Fisher and Jordan Farmar.
(Xinhua News Agency September 27, 2008)