"The first time I played against Boykins, I thought a fan had run out of the stands to try to take the ball from me." Hahaha!
I'll be surprised if Stuart (i.e. the Sabonis on Clutchfans site) is REALLY Yao Ming. Given his hectic play schedule and commercial activities, I don't think Yao Ming still has time to own and put up a basketball website and be an active administrator/moderator of it. http://www.interbasket.net/talk/member.php3?action=getinfo&find=lastposter&forumid=5 Beside Stuart lives in San Francisco, and Yao Ming lives in Houston (during the NBA season) or Shanghai (during the summer).
Did anyone of you go as far as Chapter 11 of the book already ?? I have yet to buy the book. I went to Shenzhen today and came back empty handed out of a bookstore where they sold only Chinese books and magazines. Anyway, I found the following article on sina.com about Chapter 11 in his autobiography, which is about his romance with Ye Li. http://sports.sina.com.cn/k/p/2004-09-27/22501171548.shtml Here is what this is all about:- 1. Ye Li is the ONLY girl that Yao Ming has shown interest in and dated ever since he was 17 years old. 2. He wished that they can have 5 kids, 1 child per year. But then he thought that would be too tiring for Ye Li. 3. He does not think it's wrong for most NBA stars to have more than 1 girl friends, as he thought USA and China are different countries, having different people leading different life styles. But he would not choose a different life style, and he thought it is not for him to say what is right or what is wrong. 4. He said he does not want to go out with other girls, as he always let the others know he has already a steady girl friend. He said a lot NBA stars do not want to tell others that they have girl friends already, as they want to find a better one, or to have multiple ones. He would not do so, and that is why he always wears his red string on his wrist. He does not want to talk more about Ye Li, as he wants to protect his and her privacy. 5. He saw Ye Li when he was 17 (i.e. 1997), the year Ye Li was selected into the national team. He dared not talk with or date her until he himself was selected into the national team. He always asked the reporters from the press to give him photos of the Chinese women national team. There were a lot of girls to choose from but he had his eyes fixed on Ye Li. Ever since 1999, he tried to date Ye Li, and every time, it was a flat NO !! It was until a Shanghai players gathering that Ye Li finally agreed to date with him, and he took her out and had a wonderful evening at a bar. 6. Then in his last CBA season (i.e. 2002), Ye Li knitted a pair of red strings; Yao Ming was gifted one of them, and Ye Li kept the other. Yao Ming wore it on his left wrist, and Ye Li wore it on her right wrist. 7. Yao Ming explained why he chose his jersey to be #11. It was not as his agent explained: 2 straight roads. To him, the # 11 looks like YY, i.e. Yao and Ye. He had YY at the back of his car as well as knitted onto his mat. He said if he ever changed his jersey to another number, then his fans probably would know he had changed a girl friend (i.e. his relationship with Ye Li is over), and he probably would have to change his car too. 8. Yao Ming talked about being approached in Seattle during his rookie season by a girl. He said it was in the hotel lobby. The girl was obviously not his fans, but was trying to convert him to Christianity. He said he tried to be friendly and polite and did not say No to her just because she was very lovely. (Here: Yao Ming repeated twice about she was very lovely !!!) 9. Yao Ming also remembered a Chinese girl trying to approach him back in 2001. He remembered that was before Wang Zhizhi joined NBA, and no one knew that Yao Ming will be joining NBA soon. He did not know how this girl got his mobile phone number. And he had to change his mobile phone number. So does this sound interesting ??? This is Chapter 11 of his autobiography. See the number of 11 again on his talking about his romance with Ye Li. Coincidence ??
Lisa Ling is a rather famous TV hostess of the Ultimate Explorer Series of the National Geographics channel. The very first premier episode of Ultimate Explorer series featured Yao Ming: "Basketball Diplomacy: From Mao to Yao" that went on air June 1, 2003.
Just found a segment of interview that Lisa ling talked about Yao, not sure if it is has been posted. http://goldsea.com/Personalities2/Linglisa2/linglisa2-8.html GS: How tall are you? LL: I'm 5-6. He's 7-6. I took him out a couple of times. He never ever ever goes out. I forced him. “Yao Ming, you cannot continue hiding. You must go out. Let's go out!” I took him out and it was unbelievable. I took him to a little trendy cafe in LA. I've been out with like Britney Spears and no one has gotten the attention Yao Ming got. As soon as we walked in, the entire restaurant simultaneously ceased all conversation. And they all at the same time looked up. And they started breaking out, “Yo, Yao! Yo Yao!” It was so unbelievable. He's so lovely. I just want to say, I have always always been attracted to Asian men. In a perfect world I will marry and have a billion babies with an Asian man but Asian men have never asked me out.
Rockets center releases autobiography, meets with media Yao’s Life in Two Worlds Yao, translator Colin Pine and Bucher make an appearance on NBA TV while at the NBA Store. (Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE/Getty Images) Yao Ming was recently at the NBA Store in New York, promoting his new autobiography, "Yao: A Life in Two Worlds," which was written by ESPN the Magazine's Ric Bucher. While there, Yao and Bucher met with the media and talked about everything from the upcoming China Games to the long, tall shadow of Shaq. NBA.com was there to ask both of them a few questions. Here's what Yao and Bucher had to say: YAO MING: You're participating in a Read to Achieve event at your old primary school during the China Games. How important is that event to you? Yao Ming: "It's amazing how fast time has gone by since I've been at that school. What I've learned is that you can't waste any time in your life. You have to use every moment to study and learn. I think it's important for me to go back and teach those kids that." What do you hope your teammates get out of this trip to China? Yao: "I hope they can feel the passion of the Chinese fans." What do you expect the atmosphere to be for those games? Yao: "The days leading up to the games will be crazy." What are your expectations for the Chinese national team in the 2008 Olympic Games? Yao: "I hope we can do better ever before than we have in history." With Shaquille O'Neal in the East, how will it be different in the West?* Yao: "Shaq's in Miami, right? I can still feel his shadow here in New York." How difficult is it for a young player in Shanghai to become a Yao Ming? Are the resources there?* Yao: "You can't just talk about Shanghai. China is a very big place. I think if you look at all of China, there are plenty of resources." By adding Tracy McGrady, do you think you're contenders for a title?* Yao: "Just looking at the players on the Rockets now, everybody's in great shape, I think we'll be improving every day." Do you realize that you're also an agent for social change and more than just a basketball player. Does that weigh on you at all?* Yao: "There's a lot of pressure in that, so I just try my best to do what I'm supposed to do." -------------------------------------------- RIC BUCHER: What kind of reception will Yao get in his hometown of Shanghai? Ric Bucher: "The only thing you can equate it with is Michael Jordan. He's not as good a player as Jordan, obviously, but the thing you need to understand is one, China is four times larger than the United States in terms of population. And, two, they've never had anybody, in any field, that has stepped outside of China and has competed in a Western [field] and been a success. Their national pride in what he is and who he is and their interest in how he does is off the chain. "And on top of that, they're not used to celebrity. We've been talking about this. Here [in the U.S.], and he's mentioned it, when he says, "Can you give me a minute? People respect that space. "When I was over there with him and we were walking through airports, it was like a locust attack. There's no such thing as personal space. There's no such thing as respecting the celebrity. It's Yao Ming, I want to climb that tree. "And this whole thing in Shanghai, the pride is going to be unbelievable." What do think the atmosphere will be like for the games? Bucher: "The NBA players will be surprised by the reaction of the fans. They've got the golf clap going [in China]. If you have two guys going down on the floor for the ball, they'll laugh. They see a certain amount of slapstick in it. It'll have a different feel to it. It's a foreign game over there. They have players who are attuned to it, but there's still a large population over there that the whole NBA look is foreign." What do you think his teammates will get out of this trip? Bucher: "They may get a little taste of it. I think they'll get the enormity of where he comes from. I think they'll have a better grasp, especially when they go to Shanghai and Beijing, that those are two Westernized cities. There's a Starbucks on every corner, there are McDonald's, Gucci, people speak English, there's high-speed internet. They'll notice it's more modern than their general perception of China. "I also think they'll get a sense of the overwhelming number of people and the pride that they take in [Yao]. Even as big as Jordan was here, there's nothing here that compares to what [Yao] means to them." What do you think Yao will get out of this trip? Bucher: "It's interesting. In terms of making the transition from China and living in the U.S., he's said, "I feel like I'm on an island living in the middle of the ocean right now. I'm not completely Chinese the way I was, but I'm not American. "I think for him, it's going to come home to him what part is Chinese and what part of him is American. He is going to be going home. He is going to feel that love, but he is going to be coming home as a guy who plays for the Houston Rockets. That's who he's going to be with. People over there are going to see him embraced by his new family and I think he's going to feel that. And I think he's going to realize, I'm at least half-and-half, whereas before he considered himself more Chinese than American." How important is it for the NBA to play games in China? Bucher: "I think it's tremendous. I think even more important than just playing games, but any sort of interaction, whether it's coaching or whether it any type of interaction, because this goes beyond the NBA. I think there has to be a communication and understanding of people. We see them as very different and they see us as very different. And there are elements of our societies that are different. "But, you know, as people, the experience that Yao Ming and I have had in writing the book. We've had a good time. We can joke around. Our sense of humor and the things we like to do are similar." He seems to be a wry fellow Bucher: "Very much so. He's always crackin' jokes on me, which allows me to crack on him. And he enjoys people taking shots at him, making him use his wit. "They've watched NBA basketball for a number of years [in China], but they need to see NBA players walking down the street and see what they look like in person, how they behave and how they interact. "I dare say, I hope the NBA players understand that. Whether they like it or not, for a lot of Chinese people, they may be the first American person they see in person. That impression, whatever that impression, will be their impression of what an American is. Hopefully, they'll take that into consideration." http://www.nba.com/features/yao_041001.html
Oddly enough, when I was in high school, Lisa Ling was an anchor on "Channel 1 News," the 15-minute news show piped into my school that we all had to watch near the beginning of each 5th period.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/features/2828538 He shoots, he scores Yao Ming makes points on New York book tour By ANDREW GUY JR. Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle A LIFE IN TWO WORLDS Excerpts: Houston Rockets' star center Yao Ming, along with co-author Ric Bucher of ESPN The Magazine, has written Yao: A Life in Two Worlds (Miramax Books, $22.95). Here are some excerpts: On being told at age 10 that he would grow to be 7 foot 3 (he's now 7 foot 6): I was very happy and excited at first. When I got a few years older, I thought about how I'd have a lot of problems being taller. I worried that I wouldn't find a girlfriend. I also worried about how tall my kids would be, since kids are usually taller than their parents. On his social life in Houston: When I do go out, I'm in the car and the windows are dark; nobody knows it's me. I think maybe 60 percent of the players in the NBA go out two or three times a week. I went out twice my first season. On his introduction to the NBA: I was ready for players to challenge me when I came to the NBA. I knew everybody would want to try to dunk on me. Every time somebody dunked over me or shook me . . . I just wanted to get them back. On race: Race and the color of people's skin is a much bigger thing to worry about in the United States than it is in China. Maybe one reason is that we Chinese are mostly of the same race and we don't think about it. NEW YORK -- "Yao? Would you like a little makeup?" A shrug. "How about we powder you up a bit before you go on?" A nod. Leaving a tiny dressing room, Yao Ming, the Houston Rocket's 7-foot-6 All-Star center, follows a stage assistant across a hall and into an even smaller area. He squats in a chair as the assistant dabs powder on his face. "All set," she says. Yao stands to follow another assistant. Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa are nearly done with John Goodman. Yao is next. Earlier, he worried that the syndicated morning show hosts weren't aware of his size. Yao's concern was that the guest chair wouldn't hold his 295-pound frame. Don't worry, someone says, John Goodman is sitting in it now. You should be just fine. After a commercial break and some banter between Philbin and Ripa, it's showtime. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Yao Ming!" Yao walks onto the set, smiles and gives a nervous wave to the audience. Showtime, indeed. Start spreading the news... A few signs that you've made it: · You're known by your first name. · You have a $30,000 life-size bobblehead doll for sale on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. · Kelly Ripa wants to sit in your lap. Though he is Chinese, Yao Ming has become a bonafide American superstar. When the basketball sensation arrived in the United States two years ago to play for the Rockets, he was shy, spoke little English, could not drive and was somewhat nervous about his role in the NBA. Now? A more outspoken Yao is mastering the media, flowing through interviews and charming studio audiences. His English has improved so that he often doesn't need his interpreter for interviews. And his driving has improved (though some in his entourage joke that they still hold on for life when Yao's behind the wheel). The 24-year-old has adjusted to life in the NBA and is eager to "help take the Rockets to the next level." He's also eager to tell the world his story. Yao: A Life In Two Worlds (Miramax Books, $22.95) "is the story about how I got to play in the NBA and how I grew up," Yao says. "It's something I went through only once, and will never happen again, so I felt the need to put it out there." Co-written by ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher, the book details, among other things, Yao's childhood in China, his wish to do "something famous," his parent's reluctance to allow him to play basketball and his transition to life in the United States. Sitting on a sofa in his hotel suite overlooking Central Park West, Yao looks as if his knees will touch his chin. Though his English has improved, Yao still asks interpreter Colin Pine to sit in on interviews. Yao wants Pine around for those questions that his English vocabulary can't handle clearly. ... I'm leaving today... Vocabulary challenges, cultural differences and the stresses of professional sports are among the subjects broached in Yao: A Life in Two Worlds. One of the more dramatic issues the book addresses is Yao's adjustment to the business aspects of the NBA. Shortly after Yao joined the Rockets, the team traded Kenny Thomas to the Philadelphia 76ers. The trade concerned the rookie Rocket. In China, players are never traded. They stay with a team for life. The situation required a mental adjustment. It was difficult for Yao to get close to someone knowing that the person could be gone overnight. And Yao reasoned if the Rockets got rid of Thomas so easily, could he be next? "I had to take a deep, deep breath," Yao recalls. "I was so scared. It was the first time I saw a guy get traded. It's like I went to a hospital and saw a guy die. I know I'm not going to die, but I'm still scared. That was hard for me." It was harder still when his good friend, Steve Francis, was traded to the Orlando Magic earlier this year. One pressure for Yao -- and many other foreign athletes toiling for American professional teams -- is feeling you have a foot in two worlds. Yao got a lesson in cultural differences and political correctness early in his NBA career when Shaquille O'Neal, then the star center for the Los Angeles Lakers, mocked the Shanghai native. "Tell Yao Ming, 'Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,' " said O'Neal, in a phony accent. While many Asian groups protested, some Asian-Americans criticized Yao for downplaying O'Neal's comments. The issue was debated on television and in newspaper columns: Were O'Neal's comments racist? And how should Yao respond? At the time, Yao laughed the comments off, saying he didn't think O'Neal meant any harm. The focus should be on basketball, Yao reasoned. Two years later, Yao is hesitant to discuss the issue, even though it gets an entire chapter in his book. The big man is, in fact, so afraid of saying the wrong thing, Pine steps in to interpret -- "to make sure I get my sentiment across right." "Of course (American-born Chinese) are very sensitive about this issue and I understand that," Yao says, via Pine. "In China, though, people thought about it in a different way. They looked at it as more of a joke. (Race) isn't something that we think about as much in China." Does he feel pressure to be a spokesperson for Asian-Americans? "There is pressure," he says. "(But) basketball is only a very small part of life and it can't prove anything and you can't speak for everyone." ...I want to be a part of it... "Is he standing on a platform?," a woman asks. "I don't think so," another says. "You're kidding? He can't be that tall. I thought he was standing on something." It is the middle of the day in Midtown Manhattan. Hundreds line up at the Barnes & Noble in Rockefeller Center. Each has a copy of Yao: A Life In Two Worlds. Some have two. The two-book limit forces some people to ask the stranger next to them to carry a book through the line, which snakes outside and onto Fifth Avenue. Passers-by ponder the commotion. Harvey Fine and Eric Hu have been Rockets fans since they were kids. The Houston natives work in New York City. Fine, 31, works in finance, and Hu, 26, is an IT consultant. The two are on their lunch breaks. During their nearly hour-long wait in line, the pair debate Yao's role in the Asian community. "On a personal level, I can understand where he was coming from," Hu says. "Who's to say he should agree with every other Asian? And I think he handled that gracefully. He's under a lot of pressure. Whether he likes it or not, Asians here will be watching, and Asians from the homeland will have their attention on him, too." Ernie Lai, 30, a New York City computer consultant, clutches two copies of Yao's book. Unlike Fine and Hu, he isn't a Rockets fan. He likes the Knicks, but he's also a Yao fan. "He's Asian," Lai says. "He's a role model. The typical view of Asians is that we're in the medical field or technical field or in engineering." The line continues to move. "Come on, everybody, let's go," a guard yells. "Have your books out ready to sign." Yao scribbles through the line in a little more than an hour. "That's it?" he asks after the last book is signed. That's it, someone says. "Whew!" ...New York, New York! Even after penning a book, there are still subjects Yao won't discuss. He answers no questions about his girlfriend, Ye Li, a star of the women's Chinese Olympic team. Questions pertaining to his parents are limited to the basics. And Yao is very careful about addressing issues related to China. "He really didn't want to offend anyone over there," said Bucher, who spent two years working off and on with Yao for the book. "He's very respectful of his culture and heritage and the people back home." That's because Yao doesn't appear to have forgotten his roots. He keeps in constant contact with friends in China, where he spends the off-season. In November, the Rockets will play the Sacramento Kings in China.) Terry Lyons, the NBA's international spokesperson, says Yao may be the start of an influx of foreign players. "Yao personifies everything that is the future of our league," Lyons said. "The sport has grown to the point where players are coming from all over the world. Yao is the start." ...New York, New York! Several days into his Big Apple tour, Yao is beginning to relax. He is connecting with show hosts and audiences. He's even setting up some punch lines. During a commercial break on Live with Regis and Kelly, Philbin suggests that co-host Ripa sit on Yao's lap. The duo is still discussing it when the break ends and the cameras roll. Yao sits, watching. Amused. "I'm just saying," Philbin says, "That it would be nice if you sat on his lap." "Regis," Ripa says, "How do you know if he wants me to sit on his lap?" The crowd laughs. Regis turns to Yao. "Would you mind if she sat on your lap?" Silence. "Um, how much do you weigh?" Yao asks. The crowd roars. Philbin laughs hysterically. Ripa's mouth is hanging open. She looks into a camera, opens her mouth, and screams. The crowd roars again. Even Yao is laughing. A slam dunk.
didnt really think this deserved a new thread since its an old article and it may already have been posted, but i thought the reaction to it might be interesting... http://www.brandchannel.com/features_profile.asp?pr_id=116 Yao Ming Falls Short by Abram Sauer Though there is no known "ancient Chinese secret" about image overexposure, in the case of Yao Ming, one imagines it must be "Only Bad Endorsement Is One You Not Do." If this observation appears culturally insensitive and crass, it should. For it is made to convey an example of National Basketball Association rookie Yao Ming's attempts to style himself a 2.26-meter, English-as-a-second-language freak show. With a billion-plus Chinese audience guaranteed by Yao Ming, finding endorsement deals is like getting wet in the rain. Already Yao's 2003 endorsement deals are estimated at US$ 10 million. But, the challenge for Yao should be signing on a dotted line that will create a valuable (and respectable) image for himself. In terms of reaching a Chinese audience, this isn't a problem. In China, Yao's image as a basketball superstar is already established. Regardless of what he puts his face on (so far China Unicom and Sorrent), he will always be a basketball star first and an endorser second. In terms of marketing in China and to the Chinese, Yao is set. But it is this guarantee of a billion people's love that might be the source of his marketing team's recklessness in the US. Outside of China, where Yao is unknown and unproven, prudence should be his game, focusing on creating an image that he is going to live with for the rest of his professional career. Sadly, it seems that prudence has lost to avarice as the choices he has made run counter to the concept that a name/product relationship is a two-way street. In the two televised advertisements currently featuring Yao, neither even identifies him as an athlete. Yao's TV spot in the US for Apple computers features him alongside 2-foot 8-inch Verne Troyer, the actor who played Mini-Me in the Austin Powers movies. Toyer has made a career out of his odd height, and here Yao appears to be doing the same. The message: I am freakishly tall, just like he's freakishly short. Another message: Furthering a stereotype Yao should be trying to discourage, Toyer watches a kung fu film while smiling up at his silent, seemingly dim-witted Asian inverse. The other ad, for Visa check cards, is much worse. Gripping a garish I'm-a-dumb-tourist souvenir of the Statue of Liberty, Yao has his name confused with a New York cashier's vernacular "Yo." And, folks, that's the whole commercial. The message: I'm a dumb tourist who doesn't speak English. The bottom line here is that these ads not only play on Yao's abnormal height and the fact that he "no speak English good," but they also aggressively promote these qualities to make them characteristic of who Yao is. While pandering to humor's lowest common denominator, these early forays into image molding risk the fact that Yao will never be seen as anything more than an imported novelty. Provided it's not already too late, Yao's next endorsement for Gatorade does promise the possibility of moving back on the right track. However, if the ad panders exclusively to his height or his foreignness or both, he's doomed. Interestingly enough, Nike signed Yao several years ago but has yet to use him. Nike's contract with Yao ends this spring and no announcement has been made about renewal. Although it's hard to imagine that Nike won't keep Yao on retainer, in a November Houston Chronicle interview, a Nike spokeswoman stated that Nike was "not prepared to speculate at this time." In a wacky twist, the brand to benefit most from association with Yao is Starbucks, which doesn't pay him a penny. Repeatedly, human-interest pieces mention the young man's penchant for buying Frappuccinos in bulk. And, unlike the endorsements for which we know he's been paid, the Starbucks mentions are authentic personal endorsements. So what went wrong with Brand Yao? Let's look at his marketing team, Team Yao, as they humbly refer to themselves. This small group of advisers (including BDA sports management professionals, a University of Chicago business professor and a University of Chicago MBA student who is, surprise, a distant relative of Yao's) has expressed its fears about overexposing its golden goose, yet, in every media instance, it seems that Team Yao should be worried about overexposing itself. Promoting your brand as a circus sideshow act is one thing. However, in a gluttonous pursuit of cash, Team Yao is handicapping not only Yao himself but also an already struggling movement against Asian stereotyping in America. Though unfaultable for not being an activist, Yao has plenty of opportunity to at least do no further harm. Unfortunately, it seems he's settled for a single moral stance: no alcohol ads; thankfully too, as one can only imagine the route the Budweiser creative team might take for a laugh. Yao is hard to blame. As a 22-year-old foreigner thrown into the eight-figure fracas of pro-athlete endorsement deals his only real hope is good team dynamics. Too bad it seems that the only all-star on Team Yao is Yao himself.
This is an old article. I think it's pretty evident that as Yao's English gets better, Team Yao is definitely trying to branch out Yao's personality and toning down the whole "freak show" aspect of his persona. Now if only talk show hosts would stop saying stuff like, "Look how big these hands are? Where do you shop."
http://www.brandchannel.com/images/FeaturesProfile/profile_img1_yao_ming.jpg Look at his arms back then.
