Michael finley dunks on yao ming biography
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Williams, Serena Yushchenko, Viktor
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Who had best stats in their 10th season? For Yao's family, it seemed there was never enough food to satisfy the young boy's appetite, and his mother would visit the stalls of the city's food market near closing time to buy extra items cheaply.In 1998 the athletic gear maker Nike invited him to the United States for a series of basketball camps. His nice-guy attitude and easy smile, combined with his immense height and lantern jaw, prompted the press to nickname him the "Gentle Giant." Corporate America was eager to hire him, too, and he was signed to a number of advertising contracts.
Rodgers, Marshall. Yao is his family's name, and Ming his given name. China wanted to keep him with the Sharks and on the national team, and was not eager to see him leave the country for a million-dollar contract to play with the NBA. A sports marketing firm almost engineered a deal in 1999, but it involved giving the Sharks a large percentage of his potential American paycheck, which would have been prohibited by NBA players' union rules.
Michael Finley had the first of his seasons in 1995-96, while Yao Ming had his rookie season in 2002-03. He pitched the Yanjing brand of beer, made in Beijing, and appeared in television commercials for China Unicom, a telecommunications company. 34.
Web Sites
"Yao Ming." NBA.com. His Asian fans have dubbed him "Ha-Quille O'Neal.' But Ha hopes to follow Yao's example, telling Peter Hessler of the New Yorker, "I want to be a Korean Yao Ming."
Visited America in 1998
Yao's immense height and court skills began attracting notice outside of China.
But professional basketball teams have also gained a foothold in European cities. Talented players, both homegrown and imported, can join teams and turn professional when they are still in their teens. "Bigger and Better." Sporting News (January 20, 2003): p.
Deveney, Sean. He was named Player of the Month in the NBA twice that season, earning comparisons to legendary player Michael Jordan.
Patriotism and National Team Duty
Yao's patriotism remained strong throughout his NBA career.
This article can also be found online at http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0322/mcgraw.php . 46.
Relations between the two players had been slightly strained when Yao first came to the United States, because sportswriters liked to ask O'Neal, the NBA's most famous center, what he thought of his new competition. Local sports officials took notice, and he was chosen to take part in a local sports school in Shanghai.