Yao changes face of U.S. basketball Saturday, August 24, 2002 northjersey.com News service reports OAKLAND - He stands a head taller than any of his Chinese teammates on the basketball court. He has been called the next big thing in the NBA. At 7-foot-5 and 296 pounds, he's not only huge, he's athletic, agile, and quick. Only 21, he's expected to get better. Yao Ming's first game on U.S. soil was Thursday night, but already so many hopes and dreams are hanging on the future success of this year's top NBA draft pick. Some people say Yao will be the Tiger Woods of basketball by shattering stereotypes and giving a new, fresh face to an American sport. Asian-American children will flock to neighborhood basketball courts, they predict, and their parents will pack arenas at professional games. This appeal, which has been called Yao-mania, already has begun. Thousands of Asian-Americans turned out Thursday to root for the Chinese team and to get a sneak preview of Yao during an exhibition game between Team USA and China, many carrying small posters of Yao. Yao had some good and bad moments, getting held to 13 points and 11 rebounds as the Chinese national team lost, 84-54, to the U.S. team. A crowd of 19,873, many of them cheering for China, watched Yao do a little of everything - positive and negative. Yao swatted away six shots and denied Antonio Davis the honor of being the first American to dunk on him, but he also blew a dunk of his own and struggled when he was defended by Ben Wallace. Yao finished 5-for-12 from the field, and he was unafraid to push back when the Americans tried to push him outside. He missed his only three-point shot and committed five turnovers, but he also showed some nice offensive moves and a silky touch on his turnaround jumper. Yao emerged unscathed after Wallace landed on top of him after Yao faked Wallace off his feet in the third quarter. During breaks, commercials were aired in English and Chinese that said, "Got Yao?" and "Get Yao now" publicizing games Yao will play in Oakland once he joins the Rockets. "He is a hero to a lot of people in China and in Chinese-American communities here," said fan Roger Chen, 24, adding that Yao will make a huge impact on the way Americans view Chinese basketball players. 4746841 Copyright © 2002 North Jersey Media Group Inc. Copyright Infringement Notice
