For Yao, Lights, Cameras and an All-Star Frenzy By LIZ ROBBINS TLANTA, Feb. 7 ?The boom mikes bounced just above his head, and the white-hot camera lights blinded his eyes as television crews and photographers rushed backward in a cavalcade to capture his entrance. Journalists crowding his circular table, three deep, were told to stand back to make a path for the big man's every elongated step. From 7 feet 6 inches above the fray, Yao Ming surveyed the scene today at his first All-Star Game news conference, and in an instant that needed no translation, he exhaled a quick, overwhelmed sigh before diving into his fishbowl. Minutes later, Shaquille O'Neal walked into the ballroom unadorned by the same high-pitched fanfare. By then Yao, the Houston Rockets' center from Shanghai, had already begun talking about being named an All-Star Game starter as a rookie, voted by the fans, who sent O'Neal, the three-time most valuable player of the N.B.A. finals, to the bench. Yao, at age 22 the game's youngest All-Star, acknowledged his stardom but tried to duck the attention and accept his honor with humility. "I still believe that I am a blue-collar, a blue-collar amongst the All-Stars," Yao said through a translator. Michael Jordan, making his last All-Star appearance, skipped the news media session. Kobe Byrant and Jason Kidd were snowbound in the New York area and Allen Iverson told the league he was sick. Yao was unquestionably the phenomenon that 21 journalists and 4 television crews from Asia, along with more than 100 reporters from around the world, came to witness. "This is one element of the pressure I am in," Yao said of the news media. "This is really something special. I think that the greatest excitement is to be selected to the All-Star Game. Nothing can be more exciting than that." At times, it was clear that Yao would have sooner preferred playing a video game. Watching from the table 30 feet away, his teammate Steve Francis shook his head under his mirrored shades when asked about the scene. "See it every day," said Francis, who will start at guard Sunday. "As much as he doesn't really want all the attention, all the time, he's used to it. "I couldn't begin to imagine what it's like. I think he really, really does appreciate it. But there's so many eyes on him day and night. Outside of the locker room, it's hard to be Yao Ming." With his teammates, Yao indulges in three very American staples off court: "PlayStation, pizza and French fries," Francis said. And yet, Yao has a sharpness that seeps through his translations, a keen wit and sensitivity to the people and unfamiliar culture around him. "A lot of the things he does, like off the court, and how aware he is about situations, as far as people's feelings, I didn't expect it at first," Francis said. "He'll know when guys are upset, and he asks if they're O.K. He speaks another language to you guys, but he doesn't speak another language in the locker room." Today, Yao politely answered but didn't really answer questions with circular aphorisms, dispensing thoughts on Jordan, Mini-Me, Shaq and Francis. Yao let his wit slip only at certain times. When Francis said today he was going to get Yao the M.V.P. award, Yao responded, "I'm so touched I feel like crying." Francis and Yao have given the Rockets a 26-22 record at the break in what has been an exciting but inconsistent season for Houston. Opponents say he has mobility and graceful skills rare for someone his size. But Yao's impact goes beyond his 13 points and 8.1 rebounds a game. A matchup against O'Neal on Jan. 17 drew the second-largest viewership on cable television. Yao and the Rockets won in overtime, and when asked whether he deserved to start the All-Star Game over O'Neal, Yao said through his translator: "I don't think that is enough. I think that with my performance, people can see the difference between me and Shaq." The week before the two played, O'Neal had made a comment he later said was "stupid," mimicking Chinese words in a sing-song voice. Today, O'Neal was complimentary toward Yao, but he did not elaborate. "He's very good for the league," O'Neal said. "And I'm a connoisseur of what's good for the league." Yao, the Rockets' No. 1 pick, understands that he supports the hopes of both his country and a league searching for new stars in the imminent post-Jordan era. "Either burden is too heavy for me to stand it," he said. "So it doesn't matter which one is heavier. I will try my best to make myself a student of basketball." He did not consider his impact comparable to Tiger Woods's. "Basketball is larger than a golf ball," he said. "I am very honored, but I cannot achieve that." Cleveland center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the first-time All-Star who played against Yao last week, had just two reporters near the end of the session around him. "So many questions about Yao," Ilgauskas said. "I feel like I know him." Yao was quick to point out that he was not the only foreign player starring on the court. "It's amazing how he gets in his first year and is able to adjust to everything and already has an impact on his team," said Dirk Nowitzki of Germany, who has led the Dallas Mavericks to the league's best record (38-10). Yao said his most difficult challenge had been the pressure to perform combined with the physical stress of back-to-back games. "Everything is happening too rapidly, too fast," he said. It has only been a half-season, but someone asked him what his plans were when he retired. "After I retire from the N.B.A., I will probably join the mass media, because I have always been bothered by the mass media," he said. "And if I cannot beat them, I will join them."
