Oakland articles

No reason to kiss off Yao's ability

David Steele

YAO MING'S head may be way above everybody else's, including those of his new NBA playmates, but everything attached to that head still works.

He hears everybody associated with the NBA talking nonstop about him. He sees the cameras tracking his every move, the highlight shows that never fail to mention him, the reporters of various national origins clamoring for his most mundane thought. He knows he has millions of supporters on this continent alone, never mind the most populous nation on Earth having his back as well.

He also knows he has very loud detractors, at least one prominent one who was willing to humiliate himself on national TV to support his point. And he knows that, amid all of this, he has to play basketball for a living in a new country, and play it well enough to justify his lofty draft position and all the attention.

So one day before he makes his NBA debut in the Bay Area against the Warriors, as he bused with his Rockets teammates from a morning shootaround back to their Portland hotel to rest up for the night's game against the Trail Blazers, Yao squeezed in yet another session with a city's media, Chinese and American, sharing a cell phone with his interpreter, Colin Pine.

And when Yao said, "I'm very surprised at all the attention I've been getting. It's definitely added a lot of pressure to my being here," it wasn't hard to understand.

In light of that, what he had accomplished going into Tuesday's game wasNine-for-nine shooting and 20 points against the Lakers two Sundays ago, 30 points and 16 rebounds against the unbeaten Mavericks, 18 points in his first NBA start Friday against the Wizards, a six-game run of being the hottest shooter in NBA history (31-for-35, 88.6 percent).

All nearly without warning, because in his first six NBA games, he had verged on becoming a laughingstock, at least among those who thought the whole idea of a Chinese NBA superstar was the stuff of high comedy (much in the same vein as the belief that Japanese baseball stars like Ichiro would wilt under the heat of a good ol' American fastball). At 7-foot-5 and 296 pounds, Yao has managed to sneak up on the sport after all.

Which means that anyone planning to attend tonight's game in Oakland to see a circus, you'd be better off waiting for Cirque du Soleil tickets. On Sunday at Staples Center, the Clippers actually formulated a game plan to stop Yao. It worked; he scored just four points, not because he was lost out there as he had been earlier in the season, but because the Clips did everything they could to keep the ball out of his hands.

Nevertheless, Yao said on Tuesday that he didn't know yet whether NBA teams and players respect him. He did let on that while there might not be a direct Mandarin translation for the term "playa-hatin'," he was aware of the concept.

"There will always be people who will criticize me," he said, "and that's something I can't think about. . . . When I'm being criticized, I try not to listen to it, but when I play well, I'll remember that I might not play very well in the next game."

However, while Charles Barkley (the Round Mound of Ass-Kissing) and the radio and TV talking heads enjoyed Yao's early struggles, he was getting good reviews from those who played against him, including Michael Jordan, who last week offered perspective with his praise.

"It's tough for him to bear all that responsibility, not just in basketball,

but socially," he told Houston reporters. "He's got the government and all of China. Let the basketball be his haven to relax and go out and enjoy himself. Once you're on the basketball court, that's your peace. That's where no one can really bother you, that's where you can express yourself."

The peace on the court is becoming easier to achieve, even though Yao still has a steep learning curve. One wonders, though, what he might be doing now and what might be said of him had he taken the usual postdraft route of summer league, workout sessions and a full training camp, rather than a summer with China's national team in the World Championships and the Asian Games and arrival in Houston a week before the regular season began.

That might be one reason he answered a question about playing in the Bay Area and its huge Chinese population base by saying, "I don't know, because I haven't been there yet." The one night in town in August with the national team for an exhibition easily can slip one's mind under those conditions.

In every other way, though, each day of the season is a new experience for Yao. So far, all things considered, he couldn't have handled it better.

 

Ming building a dynasty
BY RON THOMAS
Of The Examiner Staff

When there's a major trade or signing, a managerial change, or a superstar comes to town, it's common that all inquiring reporters are hooked up to one teleconference call. What's unusual, however, is when a teleconference begins with a reporter saying, "Can I ask a question in Chinese?"

That's what happened Tuesday afternoon as Bay Area reporters checked in with a Warriors spokesperson before a teleconference with the NBA's newest phenomena, No. 1 overall draft pick Yao Ming from Shanghai, China. His presence attracted 19,873 fans -- roughly half of them of Asian descent -- to Oakland for an August exhibition game between the United States and Chinese national teams.

The Warriors expect a near sellout tonight for his first appearance at the Arena as a member of the Houston Rockets.

After a slow start, the 7-foot-5 Yao averaged 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots last week and leads the NBA with a 67.7 shooting percentage. He has generated so much excitement within local Asian communities that reporters from the Sing Tao Daily, a Chinese newspaper with more than 50,000 readers in the Bay Area, and Sing Tao Chinese Radio participated in the teleconference with sportswriters from the mainstream press. Hence the request to ask questions in Chinese.

"I think it's very exciting," said Ken Wang, who spent 28 years in mainland China before moving to the Bay Area eight years ago. Before switching to the real estate business, he was a television reporter and radio talk show host for Chinese media outlets. "One thing Americans cannot understand very much is Chinese want to have our own players here or internationally. Chinese are very proud of (their success with) small balls like table tennis and badminton. But we have never thought we could do very well with big balls like basketball and soccer.

"But Yao Ming is an exception. He's the No. 1 pick and maybe it has something to do with national pride because Chinese always relate glory to a country.

"Chinese influence in the world is rising. Yao Ming is a strong symbol of that."

There's never been a teleconference quite like Tuesday's. Yao and his interpreter listened to questions on a cell phone on the Rockets' team bus as they rode from their practice site in Portland, Ore., where they played the Blazers on Tuesday, to their hotel.

Considering the logistics, a probing, in-depth interview was impossible. Yet, it revealed one interesting aspect of Yao's personality: his sense of humor is as big as his body. He noted that the surprising amount of attention he has received "has definitely added a lot of pressure to my being here."

How does he handle that?

"The best way to deal with it is sleeping," he replied.

And what about American culture has been most difficult to adjust to?

"Traffic jams," he said.

The Warriors, who with better luck in the lottery would have had Yao themselves, capitalized on his popularity by specifically asking to host the U.S.-China game and increasing their contacts in the Asian community.

To attract Asian fans to Warriors games, their season-ticket promotions included a package called the "The Great Wall" with games against Houston's Yao, the Los Angeles Clippers' Zhizhi Wang and San Antonio's Mengke Bateer.

Recently, the Warriors blitzed Asian print and broadcast media with ads and interviews promoting tonight's game. This evening, public address announcements will be made in English and Mandarin Chinese, while halftime entertainment will have a decidedly Asian flavor.

Of course, the main attraction is Yao, who last week scored 20 points against the Shaq-less Los Angeles Lakers, 30 points and 16 rebounds against unbeaten Dallas, 18 points and eight rebounds the next night against Washington and broke Wilt Chamberlain's record by sinking 31 of 35 shots (88.6 percent) over a six-game span.

But Yao's greatest achievement was that outrageous Charles Barkley, NBA star turned TNT analyst, lost a bet that Yao wouldn't score 19 points in a game all season. As payment, Barkley on the air puckered up to the rear end of a donkey and kissed it.

"There are always people who will criticize me," Yao said about Barkley. "It's something I just can't think about."

There's at least one critic he won't be hearing from again soon.

 

Yao making (really) big adjustment to NBA, and vice versa
Nov. 27, 2002
By Mike Kahn
SportsLine.com Executive Editor
Tell Mike your opinion!





Sheepishly, almost imperceptibly, the former student at the Shanghai Language Institute said, in English, "The referees guard the court."


Houston's 7-5, 296-pound Yao Ming still is finding his NBA comfort zone.(AP)
Seconds later, Yao Ming broke out laughing as he put on his enormous sweatshirt and sweatpants. The comedian of the moment is the young, 7-5, 296-pound center for the Houston Rockets working on his comfort zone. That seems to be no problem for the No. 1 pick overall of the 2002 NBA Draft.

Sure, on this particular night, Yao struggled, as did all the Rockets in their 77-71 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. The referee comment was the result of a question about NBA officiating after he was whistled for two fouls within the first 1:57 and didn't play the rest of the first half. He did finish with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, with two rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block in 18 minutes, but he was 4-for-10 from the free throw line, and it was quite obvious coach Rudy Tomjanovich is still feeling his way with the 22-year-old wunderkind.

He is a talented rookie playing on a team that will likely be on the playoff bubble all season. Then there's his adjustment to the American and NBA cultures and how to deal with the rigors of an NBA schedule.

"It was an ugly, pound-it game, and we had guys doing pretty good, so I figured, what the hell, save the guy for the second half," Tomjanovich said. "He does a good job of getting guys shots. He swung the ball around. We've got to develop a rhythm.

"He's a rookie and it's, 'Hey coach, what do want from me?' Set a pick, whatever. He's a good guy who tries to do the right thing, to do whatever you want him to do. It's going to be an up-and-down thing just like any other young player."

Maybe. Then again, maybe not once he gets his NBA legs under him. Yao missed the first half of training camp while playing for the Chinese National Team and sorting out the political ramifications that finally cleared enough for him to sign a four-year, $18 million contract.

From what people saw of him in Sydney at the 2000 Olympics and during the World Championships this summer, there's little doubt that he's special. He showed it in the second half against the Blazers with a beautiful turnaround jumper from the baseline, plus a couple of dunks. He also had a rough time with one of his idols, aging Blazers center Arvydas Sabonis (all 7-3, 350 pounds of him), who, shall we say, manhandled him a few times.

"I need to eat more," Yao said through interpreter Colin Pine.

A sense of humor no doubt. This is a guy referred to as the "Michael Jordan of China." There have been photographers and reporters from China with the Rockets, but nothing like the madness the Seattle Mariners experienced when Ichiro Suzuki first came from Japan in 2001.

The Rockets have just one beat writer, Jonathon Feigen, from the Houston Chronicle and a Chronicle sports columnist, Fran Blinebury, is on the current West Coast swing as well. So at the moment, he is handling the coverage with total aplomb, although hardly getting overwhelmed by interview requests. Feigen has spent some quality time with Yao away from the locker room, but it's still very early in the season.

"We all know the only way to get to know players at all is to travel with them so they get used to your face," Blinebury said. "Yao is very accommodating. Very comfortable with who he is. Maybe that's because he comes from a totalitarian government, he's used to doing what he's told."

That was Blinebury humor, but the point was well taken. Pine, a 1996 graduate of James Madison, moved to Tibet for three years after graduation, then to Washington, D.C., when he got a job with the federal government as an interpreter. He intended to go to law school this fall, but a friend told him about this job. He applied via e-mail and became Yao's interpreter, moving to Houston in mid-October, the day before Yao arrived. He now lives in a house with Yao and his parents, both of whom were standout basketball players as well. His father, Yao Zhi Yuan, is 6-7 and mother Fang Feng Di is 6-3.

"He's a great person, has a great attitude, and he's funny," Pine said. "He takes things in stride, and he likes to joke around with his teammates a lot. The one story I've been telling people: We were at shoot-around at the Compaq Center in Houston, and the equipment manager found a baby rat in a shoe. Yao looks over and yells over at (diminutive point guard) Moochie Norris, and yells in English, 'Hey Moochie, your brother is over here.'"

Yao is the third player from China in the NBA, although far more talented than Wang Zhi Zhi of the Clippers and San Antonio's Mengke Bateer, neither of whom play more than spot minutes.

Despite playing in China all summer and missing virtually all of training camp, he had a streak last week of scoring 10, 20, and 30 points, making 31 of 35 field goal attempts in the process. He is averaging 9.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in 19.3 minutes a game so far, and that most assuredly will go up. His 30 points and 16 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks rocked the NBA world.

"He's not just a big guy, he's a player," said San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who has two pretty good big guys on his team named Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

"He has polished basketball skills, and once he gets adjusted to the NBA game, he's going to be a force every night."

All-Star teammate Steve Francis is trying to be patient but sees the skills and can't wait until he reaches that level on a consistent basis.

"It will come, and he's getting better all the time," Francis said. "He's starting to feel more comfortable and confident with the basketball."

The game must come to him, and he knows it. The game was all about him in China. His approach appears to be perfect, with a love for the game and the "team guy" attitude that makes him just one of the guys.

But there is also enormous pressure on him from his country to succeed and make the kind of impact Ichiro made for Japan. It's international politics at its finest ... and an expensive import, considering the $18 million investment.

"Everything's still pretty hectic," Yao said. "Flying back and forth between cities on the road, getting ready for competition. It's completely different (than China). I prepared for it before I came here, so I really believe everything will be fine."

No, he doesn't just eat Chinese food, and he loves to find the great steakhouses in every city. Of course, next on the agenda for him is grasping Thanksgiving, the traditions of turkey and a little bit of American history.

"I did mention something to him about Halloween," Tomjanovich said. "And he just looked at me, like, 'Huh?'"

Which leaves us the ultimate question about Yao: Trick or treat?

 

Warriors no match for Rockets
Golden State's shooters even worse
By JONATHAN FEIGEN
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle





OAKLAND, Calif. -- No matter how badly the Rockets have shot the ball lately and did at times on Wednesday night, they found worse in the Warriors.

Golden State shot the ball much worse than the Rockets did Wednesday, worse than the Rockets have in their shooting slump, worse than any team has against the Rockets this season. When the Rockets finally found their shots -- in the suddenly steady hands of almost forgotten center Kelvin Cato -- they pulled away in the fourth quarter to take a desperately needed 91-84 win over the Warriors.

"Just a really big win for us," said Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich, who put two road losses behind him with two tougher road opponents ahead. "Cato was phenomenal. He gave us a big, big lift. Energy. Rebounding. He just did everything well. We just grinded it out. It was important to keep our heads above water. He was just what the doctor ordered."

The Rockets' offense had been sick. But by comparison, the Warriors' offense was stricken with bubonic plague. Treatment for the Rockets' was relatively minor, if surprising.

With 18,401, the Warriors' largest crowd of the season, in the Arena in Oakland to see Yao Ming, Cato injected a 9-of-11 shooting night to finish with a game-high 22 points.

"Cato was great," Moochie Norris said. "Yao Ming got in foul trouble and had to sit out that whole time, and Cato pretty much took over. I thought he was playing well before he had to leave the team to take care of some personal business. He never lost his focus. Came back, worked, got his condition back."

The Rockets did not rely entirely on Cato, their defense and the blindfolds the Warriors apparently forgot to remove. Eddie Griffin, 2-of-12 in the first two games of the trip and shooting 38.4 percent, did not play at all after starting the season's first 12 games. But while Cato provided a huge lift, Yao made six of eight shots for 14 points in 16 minutes that were limited by five fouls and Cato's play. Besides his scoring, Cato had 12 rebounds and a season-high six blocked shots.

"When the opportunity presents itself, and everybody was giving me good passes, you try to finish going to the basket," Cato said. "In the past, I missed shots like that. Tonight I made them. I listened to Glen (Rice), Mo (Taylor) and Kenny (Thomas) telling me to look for my shots and just keep playing hard."

Norris could have used the same advice. He also broke out of his season-long malaise to mix 10 points with six rebounds and five assists, even making four of six free throws.

"It's something about this building; every time I'm here, I feel great," Norris said. "I've been out of sync pretty much all season -- shooting, at the free-throw line, everything. Tonight I felt like I was back. I was telling everybody, `I feel good. Give me some pick-and-rolls. If I get it, run the break.' I even could control the tempo."

The Warriors did climb back within three points with 5 1/2 minutes left. They then made just five of 24 shots the rest of the way. Warriors fans became so starved for entertainment that when Steve Francis passed on a breakaway dunk rather than run up the score, he was booed.

The Warriors instead picked up the loose ball Francis laid on the court to miss one more shot, making their 30-of-91, 33 percent shooting worse than the 35.4 the Raptors shot for what had been the season's worst against the Rockets.

"The game was over," said Francis, who did not see Gilbert Arenas pick up the ball to try to cut the margin to four.

The Rockets did miss three free throws in the last minute to keep things relatively close. But the Rockets had not shot nearly well enough to hint at a potential blowout. That was enough to shift the Warriors into far more zone than they normally play. But with Golden State in one of its frequent offensive funks to start the second half, the Rockets' zone offense worked for all sorts of open looks, and the shots suddenly began to fall.

Francis and Juaquin Hawkins, a combined 1-of-8 in the first half, each knocked down jumpers before Hawkins finished a drive.

When Yao got loose on an up-and-under move around Erick Dampier for a three-point play, the Rockets had their largest lead, 58-48. Golden State did close within three, but with that, the Warriors turned back into the Warriors.

After Norris drained a jumper with a toe on the 3-point line, the Warriors missed their next four shots, three on one possession. Francis flew around Mike Dunleavy to slip in a reverse to take the lead back to nine.

"We needed a victory any way we could get it," Francis said. "We dropped two on the road we had good chances to win. It was good to get a win whether it was at Golden State, Portland or Los Angeles. Our defense stepped up. And our centers carried us.

"The turkey will taste a lot better now. It would have been real quiet at that meal if we didn't win this one."

 

Yao gets second helping of Americana
By FRAN BLINEBURY
Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle

YAO MING
.





OAKLAND, Calif. -- Someday when he has become routinely comfortable shoving Shaquille O'Neal aside to throw down a thunderous slam dunk, he'll learn to outwrestle Steve Francis for one of the drumsticks.

Sometime when he has gotten into the habit of clearing the backboards for every rebound, he'll discover how to clean up that last huge forkful of cranberry sauce and candied yams in one graceful, satisfied swoop.

Eventually there will come a time when he perfects the art of pushing back from the table, grabbing the spot in the coziest recliner, loosening his belt a notch or two, then grabbing the remote control and finding the Cowboys game on TV.

For now, the crash course in assimilation into NBA basketball and American customs continues.

Yao Ming does Thanksgiving. That's one very tall, very different kind of pilgrim.

"I have heard of the turkey that is at the center of this meal," Yao said through his translator and buddy Colin Pine. "I have tasted some of it before, maybe sliced up or in pieces.

"But I have never seen a whole turkey served for a meal. And I have definitely never eaten a whole turkey."

So pull up a chair and grab a napkin, Yao.

This is all part of the learning process for him and for us as two vastly different cultures separated by a gap as wide as the Pacific come together on and off the basketball court. It is all part of the fun as an ever-shrinking planet grows smaller.

Two decades ago, it was a wonderfully talented young center named Hakeem Olajuwon who widened our view of the basketball world, captivating us with his play, charming us with his lilting British boarding school accent, teaching us and bringing an outsider's perspective to a game we get regard as very much our own.

Now it is Yao's turn, with his engaging personality, his friendly smile, his willing sense of adventure. A different millennium, a different continent. But there is the same shared sense of wonder each time there is a connection, be it on a lob pass from a teammate for a slam dunk or in a casual conversation with a nosy reporter.

For now, the post-dinner effects of tryptophan are as foreign and bewildering to Yao as traffic on Houston's freeways and Charles Barkley's penchant for sticking his head into some strange places.

After cleansing his palate with 14 points in a 91-84 victory over the Warriors on Wednesday night, Yao will get his first bellyful of this classic American holiday today when the Rockets gather for a Thanksgiving feast with all of the trimmings at their hotel in downtown Seattle.

"I have been hearing people talk about the holiday as it has gotten closer," Yao said. "I am looking forward very much to having the experience."

For the second year in a row, the Rockets will dine together on the road in Seattle, filling up on turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and all the rest of the staples that are quite familiar. Unless, of course, you hail from Shanghai.

Cranberries? Stuffing? Pumpkin pie?

Yao thinks he has never had any of them.

"You tell me about all of these things that we will have, so maybe I will decide not to eat all day until we sit down for the dinner," Yao said.

Not so different from us, after all.

"Pork chops, chicken soup and anything that my mother cooks are my favorite foods," he said.

His interest in Thanksgiving has grown as the day has drawn nearer. Some of his teammates have told him stories of what it's like at their homes.

"I want to talk to Yao and let him get the full experience of what Thanksgiving is to Americans," Francis said. "I want him to understand about the holiday, what it means, not just the food."

Having been in the United States for just over six weeks, Yao knows nothing of the history of Thanksgiving as it evolved from the early colonists, as a time to appreciate a successful harvest.

"In ancient Chinese culture, there was always a celebration at the time when the fields were first sown, a prayer that the crops would grow," Yao said. "Today, the tradition continues among people who do farming. There are other times when all of us stop to give thanks for what we have. I'll find it interesting to see the American side of this."

A year ago, when the Rockets came together on the road, head coach Rudy Tomjanovich had them go around the table with each member of the traveling party giving one reason to be thankful.

"Maybe we didn't go on to have a great record, a great year, but it was a good feeling," Francis said. "I think it helped guys get to know each other. I know it made me feel closer.

"I want to do that all over again this year, make it part of the Rockets' tradition. All of us living this life have so much to be thankful for, no matter who we are, no matter where we're from, America or China.

"Personally, I think we're all blessed to have somebody like Yao brought into our lives. Are you kidding? A 7-5 center who can play like this guy? Yeah, I'm real thankful."

It all continues for Yao, the swirl of emotions and excitement around his every step in this new league, this new land, this new life. At times you have to wonder how he keeps up with all of it, the learning process about basketball on the court, the survival course with the media and the public off it.

He is pushed by opposing centers, pulled by cameramen and writers wanting just another minute, another insight. Yao is still just 22 years old, his head spinning at times.

Is there one thing for which Yao is most appreciative already about his American experience?

"Colin," he said, reaching out to pat his friend, his translator, his confidant, his connection between two languages, two worlds, on the back.

Yao Ming smiled.

"Now I am most looking forward to eating some turkey, learning about America," he said.

Next year, we'll work on the football.

 

Making a big deal of 7-5 Yao
WARRIORS HOPE ROCKETS CENTER BRINGS ASIAN-AMERICANS TO GATE
By Lori Aratani
Mercury News

At 7-foot-5, Yao Ming is hard to miss. Still, the Warriors are going out of their way tonight to make sure everyone knows that the rookie sensation from China is in the building.

Announcements during their game against Yao's Houston Rockets will be made in Mandarin and English. The halftime show will feature lion dancers and martial arts. And pregame ceremonies will include a special message in Mandarin from Yao, the No. 1 draft pick in June.

Like any franchise searching to broaden its appeal, the Warriors are marking Yao's NBA debut here by making their first attempt to reach out to the Bay Area's large Asian-American population.

``We're obviously learning a lot about different cultures as we go through,'' said Robert Rowell, the franchise's chief operating officer. ``We're obviously stepping into new territory.''

Yao, 22, has made a previous appearance in the Bay Area, and it was a huge draw for Asian-American fans, who, officials estimated, made up more than half of the 20,000 attending the Team USA vs. China game in August. The Warriors took notice.

They began advertising in Chinese-language newspapers. Team officials reached out to Chinese television stations. To promote tonight's game and another Rockets visit in March, they distributed fliers -- in English and Mandarin -- in San Francisco's Chinatown, offering discounts on tickets. Last week they were in Milpitas at the 99 Ranch Market, which specializes in Asian goods, to remind shoppers that Yao was going to be in town.

The Warriors also are using Yao to sell ticket packages, much like their Michael Jordan plan.

``Right now Yao's the guy. When we had Wang Zhizhi here we had pretty good crowds, but he's not the same phenomenon as Yao Ming,'' said Rowell, comparing Yao with the Los Angeles Clippers' backup center.

Yao, Wang and Mengke Bateer of the Spurs, also a center, are the only Chinese players in the NBA. But Yao is the standout, the tallest and most talented of the three. After struggling early, he scored 20 points against the Los Angeles Lakers and 30 against Dallas in recent games.

In Houston, where Asians make up about 5 percent of the population, fans have welcomed Yao warmly. The Rockets also have expanded their marketing efforts to the Asian community, offering a Great Wall ticket package for games against the Clippers and the Spurs. Yao's image is featured on billboards along with the slogan ``Be Part of Something Big,'' in Mandarin. An opening-game promotion featured life-size Yao growth charts. And the team will commemorate the Lunar New Year in February, giving away the latest collectible craze: rubber ducks bearing Yao's likeness.

Last spring, Bay Area fans were buzzing with the possibility of Yao landing here. His home team, the Shanghai Sharks, had hoped their star would land in a community with a large Asian population. But after the Warriors drew the third pick in the draft lottery, it was clear Yao would end up elsewhere.

NBA teams aren't the only ones trying to capitalize on Yao's presence.

After seeing so many Asians at the August game, officials at Cameron House, a social services group in San Francisco's Chinatown, thought tonight's game would be a great way to raise money for youth programs.

Bradford Woo, a Cameron House board member, said the group has raised more than $2,000 in ticket sales.

Vernon Louie, a systems engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, sold 13 of those tickets, and he thinks he could have sold at least 50 more.

``I thought I could sell maybe four or five, but I ended up having to turn a lot of people away,'' he said.

While Warriors officials have focused their efforts on touting Yao, they hope fans will enjoy themselves so much that they'll come back even when he's not in town.

``We're creating a fun environment for the Chinese fans watching Yao Ming as well as the Warriors,'' Rowell said. ``We want to do a really good job of entertaining the fans so they'll want to come back.''