Yao Ming

A Joyous Night In Houston For Hall Of Famer Yao Ming

... the private room at the top of the hotel in downtown Nanjing. I've sampled some spicy duck, delicious chicken and many tasty dishes with vegetables I've never seen before, and quite frankly, I'm getting a little cocky, because they've told me I'm using my chopsticks better than any foreigner they've ever seen. So the Lazy Susan spins around and I don't think twice about sampling more of the local cuisine by dipping into the bowl of brown broth and pulling out a slice of something. Just as I lift it up and have it partly into my mouth, Yao Ming says, "I'll wait until you swallow it.”. That causes me to gulp it down and ask, "What was it?”. Yao smiles. “Insides.". I frown. "Insides of what?”. Yao shrugs. "Insides of something.”. I frown again. "You mean, you eat this and you don't know what it is?”. Yao cackles. "Are you kidding? A lot of Chinese food is horrible. I wouldn't touch that stuff.”. Sometimes you remember the laughs to avoid the touch of sadness. It was a joyous celebration Friday night ...

Rockets To Retire Yao Ming's Jersey

... dominant he was as a basketball player. That's what I try to remind people. When Yao was at full strength, there wasn't anybody who could stop him in the post. I will remember him as a dominant, dominant force that made my job a heck of a lot easier.". Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff. Image 1 of 36. Yao Ming will become the sixth Rocket to have his number retired, joining Clyde Drexler (No. 22), Moses Malone (No. 24), Calvin Murphy (No. 23), Hakeem Olajuwon (No. 34) and Rudy Tomjanovich (No. 45). Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff. Image 2 of 36. Former Houston Rocket Yao Ming gives remarks after receiving recognition from Mayor Sylvester Turner for his work as a goodwill ambassador for Houston on and off the basketball court on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle ). Photo: Elizabeth Conley/Houston Chronicle. Image 3 of 36. Rockets owner Leslie Alexander talks about former Houston Rocket player Yao Ming on Thursday, Feb. 2, 2017, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston ...

Nba Unveils Jerseys, Other Chinese New Year Plans

... in the digital space, with an average of 2 million viewers for every game shown on digital platforms in China. More than 400 games will be aired on mobile media there this season. All that said, the league is now aggressively working to connect its audience with the sport of basketball on a grassroots level. Toronto Raptors Chinese New Year jersey. Courtesy Raptors. "We have de-emphasized, in the last few years, the importance of growing the popularity of the NBA in China and really put our focus on developing the game of basketball and getting more people to play it," Shoemaker said. To that end, the league recently announced the launch of NBA training academies in the cities of Jinan, Urumqi and Hangzhou, partnering with provincial sports bureaus to help develop future generations of basketball talent in China. Each facility houses and trains 16 male and 16 female teenage prospects, with a strategy to accelerate their growth by playing elite international opponents. The league subsequently launched similar facilities in Australia, India and Senegal. To hear Shoemaker tell it, therein lies the future ...

Nba Hall Of Fame Member Yao Ming On Track To Become Cba Chief

... broadcasting rights, starting from April. Currently, the league is run by the basketball management center of China’s General Administration of Sports. The central government has called for reforms in the country’s sports system, including the relationship between sports bureaus, associations and professional leagues. Football and basketball are among the two major disciplines where early reforms can be expected. Last Thursday, the GAS shut its football management center, which used to manage the country’s domestic leagues. Officials of the management center were at the same time leaders of the Chinese Football Association. The move means the CFA will be separated from the GAS and become an independent organization. China’s basketball is planning similar reforms. At the media briefing, the GAS claimed that the CBA’s congress will embody “a daring and revolutionary reform” that has been encouraged in the sports ...

Yao Ming Chosen To Lead Leadership Transition Committee Of Cba

... Daily on Monday that balancing the relations between government and social groups is important for sports reform. He added that the government and the social groups should take different responsibilities, which means the government should safeguard the sports while the social groups should be allowed to manage it. A meeting on the CBA's leadership transition will be held in March when the leaders and representatives of the CBA will be selected. The People's Daily quoted an unidentified spokesperson of China's General Administration of Sport (GAS) as saying on Thursday that outstanding athletes and coaches are the wealth of the country's sports, especially those who have achieved success and become highly influential at home and abroad. They could become a major force in driving current reforms and development of China's sports agencies, the GAS spokesperson told the newspaper. The remarks came after a commentary ...

When China's Sporting Legend Yao Ming Passed Through Kolkata Without Anyone Noticing

... to snatch the ball away from a volleying Pele’s feet to deny him a goal and keep the score at 2-2. Notwithstanding the fact that India hardly figured on the footballing map of the world, approximately 20,000 people had braved the rain and turned up at the Kolkata airport for a glimpse of the Brazilian that day, and 75,000 people had turned up for the match at the Eden Gardens. Three and a half decades later, when another luminary from the same sport, Lionel Messi, visited the city with the Argentine national side, there was similar frenzy. Traffic came to a standstill for a day, the number of people with blue streaks on faces or shirts increased exponentially as one neared the stadium, and at the gates of the hotel where the Argentines were put up, people were climbing on top of each other. Kolkata takes its sporting ...

Yao Ming Jersey Retirement

... ceremony where Yao's number 11 jersey was retired at Toyota Center on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ). Former Houston Rockets and Hall of Fame center Yao Ming embraces. Photo-12311837.140859 - Houston Chronicle. Image 8 of 11. Former Houston Rockets and Hall of Fame center Yao Ming stands above the crowd during a time out in the second quarter of the Rockets game agaisnt the Chicago Bulls at Toyota Center on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ). Former Houston Rockets and Hall of Fame center Yao Ming stands. Photo-12311836.140859 - Houston Chronicle. Image 9 of 11. Former Houston Rockets and Hall of Fame center Yao Ming's number 11 jersey is retired at Toyota Center on Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, in Houston. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle ). Photo: Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle. Former Houston Rockets and Hall of Fame center Yao Ming's. Photo-12311841.140859 - Houston Chronicle. Image 10 of 11. ...

How 2017 All-star Rules Would Have Affected Yao Ming

... improved numbers from the previous season, and the arrival of Tracy Mc Grady , the Rockets were contenders and the league had to take notice. At the break, Yao was posting a respectable 18.5 ppg and 8.5 rpg. Those numbers, and the Rockets’ 32 wins, put Yao on par with All-Stars like Rashard Lewis and Shawn Marion. And even though we’re eliminating the center position for the sake of this exercise, Yao was bolstered by Shaq’s move to the Miami Heat. Shaq’s forced relocation left Yao as the heir to the throne of the Western Conference’s best “big man.”. A mix of the fan vote, on-court production and cultural footprint would have elevated Yao against his frontcourt competition like Elton Brand this season. Verdict: Yao would have been voted on to this team as a reserve by coaches. 2006 All-Star Game. Next Man Frontcourt. Kevin Garnett: 1,479,386. No point in speculating. This All-Star Game was in ...

Chinese Basketball Association Appoints Yao Ming For Transitional Team

... 2017. Chinese basketball great Yao Ming has been temporarily placed in charge of a transition team by the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) as it prepares for its upcoming elections. The retired National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar, who stands 2.29 metres tall, will share the duties of leading the men's team with the CBA's current vice president Li Jinsheng before the association hold elections in March to select new leaders and international representatives. Last year, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), appointed Yao as an ambassador for the 2019 Basketball World Cup, which will be played in China from August 31 to September 15. The retired nine-time NBA All-Star was an ambassador for the country’s successful bid for the competition last year, with China seeing off the challenge of The Philippines to stage the event. Ming made 486 appearances for the Houston Rockets across nine seasons in the National Basketball Association ...