Sports/Olympics / Chinese Stars Abroad
Yao the face of Houston and the new NBA
by Agency
Updated: 2006-02-19 14:11
It seems almost unfair that a player who stands 7-foot-6 should find his
stature growing by the day. Yao Ming served as a figurative ambassador
from China in his first All-Star appearance in 2003, and here he is
again, dusting off the welcome mat for his adopted hometown.
The NBA has descended on Houston this weekend for its annual All-Star
event and, whether he likes it or not, Yao is again front and center. He
is making his fourth straight start for the Western Conference and will
be joined by a record-breaking five international All-Stars.
Of the numerous exciting stories here -- Detroit represented by four
players; Flip Saunders flopping over to the Eastern Conference sidelines;
Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Chris Bosh
all earning their first trips -- Yao still manages to be in the spotlight.
"The league has been looking for a global face and Yao is just that,"
said nine-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, by way of an explanation.
Yao was admittedly nervous as a first-time All-Star in Atlanta, and he
played verbal ping-pong with the media. Asked then what he most wanted to
do, he answered "I would like to leave this place as soon as possible,"
in rapid-fire Chinese.
Flash forward to Friday's interview session, where he was asked the same
question: "Get here for the media on time," he replied in English.
There is a certain mischief and pride to his words that Tracy McGrady
also projected while seated at a nearby table. McGrady had planned to
skip the media event to deal with "personal family issues," but
apparently relented under pressure from the league. The two Rockets
All-Stars are ambassadors for Houston, which, though not a destination
city, has been a playground for the sporting world recently.
The Super Bowl, World Series, PGA Tour Championship, and Major League
Baseball's All-Star Game have all happened here in the past three years.
Yao and McGrady were counted on to make this a basketball city again,
similar to the mid-1990s when the "Clutch City" Rockets won back-to-back
NBA championships.
Earlier this season, there was talk of the Rockets challenging San
Antonio and Dallas for Western Conference supremacy after last year's
51-31 run, but injuries to Yao and McGrady have destroyed that dream.
Though the Rockets initially won seven of eight with both players back,
they stumbled into the All-Star break following a 109-75 pasting by
Phoenix.
So, with little to celebrate as a team, the focus is on Yao and McGrady.
On Houston itself. On the NBA's ever-growing international presence. All
of which seem to lead back to Yao.
He was the league's top vote-getter for the All-Star game with 2,342,738
votes. His mother and father, who live with him in the suburbs, opened
Yao Restaurant and Bar in west Houston early last year.
Yao recommends "everything" on the menu but says he doesn't have any
favorites.
"I would gain a lot of weight, you know?" he said.
And that, of course, would only make him a bigger spectacle.
Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours
Today's Top News
� Coal output set to reach record high of 2.5b tons
� EU likely to impose tax on imports of Chinese shoes
� Bankers confident about future growth
� Gov't: China can't pay more for iron ore
� US senators to visit China to talk trade
Top Sport News
� Yao Ming validates his all-star accolades
� Dementieva stuns Henin to set up Sharapova clash
� Artest returns to Indiana in a defeat
Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet
No comments:
Post a Comment