(China Daily/Agencies)
Updated: 2007-11-09 09:22

Not for China

The Rockets drafted Yao with the top overall pick in 2002. His first matchup with Shaquille O'Neal drew more than 200 million viewers back home.

He's since developed into one of the game's top centers, a five-time NBA All-Star who's increased his scoring average every season. He had 28 points and 13 rebounds against Tim Duncan and the champion San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.

And now comes Yi, the No. 6 pick in the draft. The two played together at the Athens Olympics and Yao sensed immediately that Yi would be a star.

"The first time I saw him, in 2004, for Olympic training camp, I know one day he would play here," Yao said. "He has huge talent. Already, he's shown some part of it, in his first four games."

The two haven't kept in touch much since Yi arrived in Milwaukee. When they did speak, Yao didn't give him much advice on life in the NBA.

"Just try to work hard," Yi said Yao told him. "First season is going to be not easy."

Yao said Yi was going to have to learn on his own, like he did.

"He's going through it in a different place," Yao said. "I don't know much about Milwaukee, I can't tell him too much. I don't want to give him too many pressures, or the wrong messages. Different people get different experiences."

Yi was reportedly disappointed that he wasn't picked by a team in a city with a larger Asian population. He seems to be adjusting just fine, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the Bucks' 78-72 win over Chicago last weekend.

They'll meet again in Milwaukee on February 2 and will team up for the Olympics in Beijing. Neither is thinking that far ahead.

"It's the NBA season," Yi said.

But they can't wait in China, where Wang thinks Friday's game will be long remembered as historic.

 "When people talk about this, they will think about the game they watched where two Chinese players started in an NBA game," Wang said. "This will help Chinese basketball a lot, just like Luis Scola and Manu Ginobili watched Michael Jordan win the championship back in Argentina.

"Every kid who loves basketball has a basketball dream. For them right now, maybe some of them want to be like Kobe. Maybe some of them want to try to be LeBron James. Now, why not think about being like Yi? This will open their eyes. This is such a great thing."

 

   1 2   

   1 2