http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051209/SPORTS0403/512090500 December 9, 2005 Five questions Houston center Yao Ming isn't the NBA's best player, but he's surely the most popular. Can 1.3 billion Chinese people be wrong? The Shanghai native is averaging 19.4 points and 8.9 rebounds for the Rockets. Question: You've had some memorable experiences in Indianapolis, from playing in the World Basketball Championship and your first NBA game (both in 2002). What's your biggest memory from playing here? Answer: The game that's biggest for me was New Zealand (in the World Championship). We were up 23 in the first half, and we lost by six or eight points. I got back to the locker room and was mad. I kicked a chair . . . That's the game that's the most painful for me. Q: You still have a large following of Chinese fans everywhere you go. Does that surprise you? A: I'm getting used to it. A lot of people (travel a long way). I appreciate those people who support me. Q: Do you ever feel like you're carrying a burden, that you're representing an entire nation and have to live up to high expectations? A: I don't think that way. That would give you a lot of pressure. Q: Has the NBA been what you expected, or has it been more difficult or easier? A: I don't know how to (answer) that. Everybody needs to improve, every day. I improved in the summer and then played the first couple of games very well. Then you play against different teams and they (defend differently). The hardest thing is who can adjust the quickest. Q: Do you expect a lot more players from China to come into the NBA? Sometimes we hear that there are dozens of 7-footers who are playing basketball over there. A: I don't know if there are dozens, but there are a couple of young guys, from 6-11 to 7-2, who can shoot well and are pretty quick. Not dozens, though. Copyright 2005 IndyStar.com. All rights reserved
