Current location:entertainment >>
Yao: NBA very welcome in China
entertainment57959People have gathered around
IntroductionYao Ming and Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets greet each other during the game against the Cleveland ...
Yao Ming and Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets greet each other during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers last Wednesday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
Hoops legend has nothing but warm words for his old stomping ground during recent US visit
Basketball great Yao Ming believes the NBA is still rated "first-class" in China, even though fans in his home country crave the days when they could cheer on one of their own in the league.
Yao, the president of the Chinese Basketball Association, used to be that guy when he soared to stardom in the United States as an eight-time All-Star for the Houston Rockets. The affable, 7-foot-6(2.29-meter) center dominated the league before retiring in 2011 at the age of 30 following a slew of injury problems.
He was the first international player to be selected first overall in the NBA Draft (2002) without having played college basketball in the US. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September 2016 as a global ambassador of basketball in recognition of his efforts on and off the court to promote the game. The Rockets retired his No 11 jersey on Feb 3, 2017.
"I have to say, the NBA is in the first class... (because) you know the players being exposed in China for so long," Yao said, when asked about the past issues between China and the NBA during a trip to New York last week.
"The players, the teams (are) all still very welcome in China and (we had) a couple of players in China just this past summer."
Not surprisingly, Yao's achievements have been hugely influential in growing the NBA, and hoops in general, in China. In 2004, two years after Yao joined the league, the NBA became the first professional American sports league to play in China with a pair of Rockets preseason games.
Tags:
Reprint:Friends are welcome to share on the Internet, but please indicate the source of the article when reprinting it.“Global Gathering news portal”。http://latvia.spaceforanything.com/content-94e399840.html
Related articles
Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. to lead Indianapolis 500 field in Corvette pace car
entertainmentINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Hall of Fame outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. will drive the pace car for the 108th ru ...
Read moreOlives link northwest China with world
entertainmentPhoto taken on June 22, 2021 shows a well-growing variety of olive tree, which was introduced from I ...
Read moreXi Presents Order to Promote Military Officers to Rank of General
entertainmentContact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom ...
Read more
Popular articles
- US overdose deaths dropped in 2023, the first time since 2018
- Laotians appreciate Chinese medical team's timely help to combat COVID
- Midsummer Day celebrated in Bucharest, Romania
- China to relax foreign investment rules amid further opening up
- Cruise worker 'murders newborn son on board ship': Shocked co
- Sweden, Finland to submit NATO applications Wednesday
Latest articles
Justin Timberlake set to bring his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour to Australia in 2025
U.S. doubles down on vaccination efforts as Delta variant drives COVID
Insights丨Foreign experts: The world draws lessons on China’s integrated urban
China firmly opposes the ROK inviting the Taiwan authorities to the so
Trump accepts a VP debate but wants it on Fox News. Harris has already said yes to CBS
Xi Story: Cradle of China's Rural Reform Embarks on Rural Revitalization Journey
LINKS
- The UK government finally passes bill to send migrants to Rwanda. What took so long?
- Myanmar junta chief missing from public view after drone attack — Radio Free Asia
- Pregnant Emily Miller goes braless and shows off her bump under daring tie
- The UK pledges $620 million in new military aid for Ukraine
- A memorial opens on the site of a Nazi concentration camp for Roma after a pig farm was removed
- Trump to meet with senior Japanese official after court session Tuesday in hush money trial
- Election 2024: Republican candidates vying for Indiana governor to take debate stage
- Jason Sudeikis and ex Olivia Wilde beam at their kids in LA park... after ending 18
- Bill Hader and Ali Wong can't stop giggling as the comedians leave loved
- Selena Gomez puts on a loved