Chinese great Yao in town

No red carpets were rolled out, not even a single reference of his name was given when Yao Ming, a former NBA all-star player, now acting as the chief of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), walked into the Sree Kanteerava Indoor Stadium, to watch his countrywomen perform here on Thursday.
     
Considered one of the best centres during his time with the Houston Rockets, Yao reached the stadium just before China’s quarterfinal encounter against the Philippines, which the Chinese comfortably won 117-43.

Although he did oblige for photographs with fans, Yao largely kept to himself throughout the period, while acutely observing the other teams competing on Thursday. Apart from the press and a few basketball fans who were aware of his stature, his presence at the stadium went largely unnoticed.

Yao arrived in the city in the wee hours of Thursday on an official capacity as the chief of the federation to monitor the progress of the Chinese women’s team in the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup. The gentle giant will be staying with the team till the conclusion of the tournament.

One of the biggest sporting icons in China, Yao has been a phenomenal influence on NBA expansion in his homeland. He landed on NBA in 2002 as the first draft pick, playing for the Rockets for nine years and making it to the All-star games eight times. His career averages 19 points per game, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Yao was twice in the hunt for the league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Yao also led the China men’s team to the quarterfinals of the 2004 Olympics in Athens and in Beijing Olympics in 2008.