"China has never been easy to understand... history's most populous country... cut off from the world by its own design." "Its most enduring symbol is the Great Wall... which stretches 4,000 miles across... and took over 2,000 years to build." "Originally meant to shield China from invaders... it still stands today as a testament... - to China's deeply held sense of cultural isolation." "That isolation only got deeper in the 1950s... when Chairman Mao banned all traces of foreign influences." "It wasn't until 1971... that China's attitude towards the West was visibly changed... by, of all things, ping-pong." "China's surprise invitation... to the American ping-pong team paved the way... for President Nixon's historic icebreaker trip in 1972." "The last thirty years has seen China change in radical ways... and also cling stubbornly to the past." "But now a group of ping-pong balls... have again become symbolically tied to the start of a new era." "Each spring, the National Basketball Association... conducts its draft lottery... where a winning ping-pong ball can change a team's destiny... by granting it the first pick in the coming player draft." "And the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft goes to... the Houston Rockets." "The Rockets immediately made it clear... that they would take 7'6" Yao Ming from China." "At 22 years old..." "Yao Ming was the star of the Chinese national team... and a huge gamble for the Rockets." "If I had the number one pick in the draft..." "I would take Caron Butler or Jay Williams." "Well, I have to agree a lot with Charles." "With the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft... the Houston Rockets select Yao Ming from Shanghai, China... and the Shanghai Sharks." "Yao was an unknown to many of the people in the United States." "Nevertheless, Houston was using the number one pick... to select him." "But the extra that was added... was literally being asked to carry the hopes... of a nation of a billion people... and that placed enormous, enormous pressure on him." "He's just like a bridge, you see... - between the two great countries... the great two side of the oceans." "His heart is very big." "His ambitions is very big." "He can be the great." "Tomorrow, Yao Ming will be... leaving his home of over twenty years." "I hope that when you arrive in your new home... your heart will remember China." "That you will miss your country, your people, and your school." "China still needs you and will continue to nurture you... along your way." "Lastly, I want to share with you some encouragement... - and the secret to success." "Be diligent, work hard, and focus on your goals." "I hope Yao Ming achieves all his dreams." "The Chinese culture is always very much looking... for people who are heroes and champions of everything." "I don't like to watch the NBA." "I'd rather watch Chinese basketball." "When Yao Ming goes to the NBA, then will you watch on TV?" "Yes!" "Of course!" "There are almost 270 million basketball fans... here in the country." "That is equal to the whole population... of the United States or higher." "After Yao Ming leaves for the U. S..." "I hope that he can play his best... and bring glory to his national team... and to his country." "I could only imagine what Yao was feeling." "Not many 22-year-olds are ready to represent their country." "For Chinese basketball to be recognized by the NBA... is an honor for all Chinese people... and I'm especially proud of him because he's my son." "There's no way Yao could've imagined what was ahead of him." "He was expected to instantly make the Rockets... a playoff team... even to challenge Shaquille O'Neal... as the NBA's most dominant force... all while staying true to his traditional upbringing." "Naturally, I'll miss my home, my friends, and my family." "My parents, they gave me a great deal of wealth... spiritual wealth." "How do I thank my family and my homeland?" "How does a blade of grass thank the sun?" "Suddenly it was late October... and Yao was arriving in Houston." "Everyone was waiting to hear what he had to say... and I had to be ready to translate." "He hasn't met his interpreter yet... so... yeah, they..." "he was hired... his interpreter was hired here, and he hasn't met him yet, so..." " Colin?" " That's Colin." " Colin's here." "Hey, Colin." " That's Colin." "Colin's gonna be enjoying this." "This looks good right about now." " Hi, Colin." " What's up?" "I'm Katie." " Katie." "Very nice to meet you." " Nice to meet you." "Colin was very young-looking." "Uh, yeah, I was..." "I was shocked to see... you know, how young he was." "He's due to be in around 4:15, so..." "Oh, OK." "Uh, "Ming" is that." "That's a sun and moon... which actually means "bright."" "I was supposed to start law school, actually... and I just decided I didn't want to spend... the next three years of my..." "my life in law school... and I wasn't prepared for that." "I didn't have a good reason for going... other than I was 28 and I didn't know what I wanted to do... and I, you know... society dictates that I need to find a stable job." "And at that point, I had decided I want to... do something that I'm passionate about... and what I'm passionate about is Chinese." "I love the language." "I love the culture." "We're gonna walk through." "We're gonna get to that area over there... the "Welcome, Yao Ming" sign." "That'll be where we'll sort of let people just kind of..." "I'll just be basically following you..." "We've got a rookie translator." "We've got, uh, a young man... who's making a huge, you know, change in his environment... and, uh, it's the beginning of a huge thing for us." "It's gonna be very interesting to see how it plays out." "All of a sudden, by the time he was actually to arrive... there was just a throng of people." "His mother had already been here." "She had come ahead of him, and they wanted her to have... as good of a home environment as possible for him... waiting when he got here." "I saw this enormous person walking down the corridor." "And his mother, of course, was very ex cited to see him... and ran out before anybody else to greet him." "That first time you're near him, it's just such... an impressive thing." "It's... you just..." "I mean, you know... you've never seen anybody this... this large." "He came up, and, uh, I was... we were introduced... and he said, "I thought you'd be a lot older."" "Heh heh." "And, uh..." "I said, "Well, I'm sorry." I didn't know what to say." "When I first met him, I could tell he was so nervous." "I was pretty..." "pretty scared." "It really was coming into focus for him... that this was not just him being a mouthpiece for Yao Ming... but the fact that the world was gonna be watching." "When I arrived in Houston... there were a lot of people welcoming me." "I was caught between the expectations of China... and those of Houston." "The only thing I could do was forge ahead." "Houston loves basketball." "We've had two championships in recent years... and we saw Yao Ming coming here... as an answer to what we needed... to take us back to the championship." "I'd like to, uh, introduce Yao Ming to Houston." "Thanks, everybody, for being here." "I know I've made everybody wait a long time... but I hope that, um... everybody will think it was worth the wait." "Uh, how much do you look forward to, uh, facing Shaquille O'Neal?" "He said... every, uh, problem has to be faced." "How interested are you to... in learning the lifestyle of the NBA... and the part of the culture that you've now joined?" "I saw Steve Francis first." "He was driving a brand-new Benz... with the music blaring." "It wasn't surprising to me... because that's what I'd heard about the American ballplayers." " Hi." " How you doin'?" "Glad to see you." "You ready?" " You have helped me." " Huh?" "I got it for you." "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be here, right?" " You make me come here." " Exactly." "The first time I saw my teammates..." "I'm not sure how they felt, but I was terribly nervous." "What's up, baby?" "How are you?" " How you doin'?" "Good?" " Pretty good." "I always watched them on TV." "Now it feels like I just walked into the television set." "See him?" "You gettin' a helmet?" " What?" " Gettin' a helmet?" "No." "I..." "It's... it's too low." "Too small?" "Ha ha ha!" "You're a small." "You wear a small?" "That's it." "That's you." "Yeah!" "Yeah!" "Ha ha." "Yeah." "Yeah." "That's what I'm talkin' about." "See, I don't know if they tell jokes over in Beijing... so I didn't want to say nothin' at first..." "Thought it'd be disrespectful." "Yeah." "That's why I said I didn't want to say nothin'." "You in America now, bitch!" "That's all we do... crack jokes." "That's all we do." "What they say..." "it's comedy, man." "You better hurry up and get adjusted to this... 'cause we gonna light your ass up." " Ha ha ha!" " Ha ha!" "Big... he a big kid, big fella." "He is." "That's good." "I'm glad he's on our side." "Ha ha ha!" "Yao Ming has gone through something... that nobody really has had to go through... being a number one pick." "Yao missed all the orientation of necessities." "Uh, first two weeks of training camp... where you put in your nuts and bolts... of your philosophy, your offense, your defense... he missed all that." "He comes in..." "you got to catch up... and now you got the spotlight right on you... watching every single move." "The way we win is we get up and down real quick... and if a big guy goes to the post... quick pass inside, score." "That's the best way to win." "If we wait for half-court setup... the percentage is not good like that." "So we get up..." "fshoo!" "Tch-tch-tch-tch!" " Right." " Yeah." "It's not gonna be easy." "There's so many different things that have to be learned." "Usually you're gonna be here, where Cato is." "And you pin down, and you post up right there." "33." "Hip-hip. 11-5." "11-5." "We have our own language anyway." "Uh, I could stand in front of the other team... and talk Rocket basketball... while they're standing right next to us... and they wouldn't understand what we were saying." ""C-out" Is a re-pick." "Take it off." "Come back." "C-5, pull." ""C-5, pull."" "We pull the 4-man out to the corner." "2 pick one. 4 pick..." "No. 2 picks 4, and 5 picks 2. 32." "4-man is gonna rotate..." "Nice." "Ohh!" "It's gonna be a hard process... because of the language barrier." "He's just gonna come in and just have to play." "There's definitely gonna be hype about him... but until he gets in here... and shows what he can do on the floor... you know, that's all it's gonna be, is hype." "Yao Ming, whenever we have a down on a play," " it's a pick and roll." " Pick and roll." "Down." "C-5, roll." ""C," Like pick, in the..." "In the middle." "In the middle." ""C" goes with "Center."" "Middle of the floor." " Middle." " Yeah." " That's "C." - "C."" ""Down" is pick and roll everywhere." "And we have sides." ""Side."" "Those are sides." "Moving from China to the United States... is being born again, a totally fresh start... so I have to learn everything from scratch." "Yao was pretty confused, and so was I." "Chinese was my second language." "Basketball was my third." "My parents never thought about teaching me... to play professional basketball." "They actually wanted me to enroll in university." "Basketball was just for fun, not a profession." "But today I actually need their advice... because this is my career." "As athletes, they've already walked down this path... so they can help me avoid the pitfalls." "As athletes, we were paid salaries as average workers." "Now you could say Yao Ming will earn real athlete's wages." "Back when my parents played basketball... it wasn't for money." "It was for the honor and glory of China." "Up until very recently..." "Chinese basketball really operated in a bubble." "It was invented by missionaries... and as a result, it was taken... along with their bibles, all over the world." "And by the early 20th century, by 1902, 3, 4, or so... its roots grew deep enough... that in China, during the cultural revolution... while the Red Guards were stamping out Beethoven's music... and all these other things that were western... basketball got a free pass." "Basketball was seen as part... of their almost indigenous cultural landscape... because it had been there for so long." "The troops during the Mao era loved playing it." "Mao himself enjoyed basketball." "Remarkably enough... uh, to that point in the Chinese league... they never even kept individual statistics." "Uh, this is left over from the collective attitude... just hammered home to everybody by the communist government." "Uh, but once Deng threw open the economy... individuals decided suddenly, "All bets are off."" "They saw Yao as this walking advertisement... for what China could be." "And there was a great deal of interest... in using him as an ambassador, as a catalyst... for expanding China's place on the world stage." "So, now I look like a boss!" "Ha ha ha!" "Yao Ming, when he first saw his home, was... was ex cited." "It's a beautiful home." "Heh." "Uh, I think he was happy that the ceilings were so high... and that the doorways were high enough... that he didn't have to duck under." "So, nothing in this room now, because a new home." "No light." "Is this your room?" " Huh?" " Wow." " Is that your girlfriend?" " Yes." "I don't want them taking pictures of her." "I don't want her picture in the film." "I knew that the plan was for me to live with them... for a while, until I got settled." "To be honest, I was a little concerned... about personal space." "I'm 29 years old and not used to living with a family... and it took some getting used to." "This is a Shanghainese dish." "Since we can't get all the proper ingredients... we get back home..." "I'm not sure if this is Chinese food or Western food." "Maybe China, west..." "In the middle." "In the middle." "India." "Heh." "Indian food." "Colin is very similar to me... in the fact that we like to try new things." "For example, we'll go out to eat and have some fun." "I tried to show Yao what America is all about." "I made it my mission to show him the real heart... of American culture." "Oh, he beat you!" "He beat me, but it was close." "Yao is always looking for help... understanding how America thinks." "Do you need help?" "Uh... no." "We're looking for it." "He would ask a lot, "What do Americans think of China?"" "All right." "If y'all need any help, just let me know." "OK, thanks." "And I would honestly say..." ""Most Americans don't know jack about China."" "I go to your games a lot." "I love to watch you play." "Thanks." "Do you want to get something?" "But the people that do know about China..." "I would be honest with him, and I'd say, you know..." ""There are things that Americans..." ""are very disconcerted with, things like human rights."" "I like "Street Fighter."" "This one is pretty fun!" "This game is a lot like "Street Fighter."" "Oh, I see." "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" "Take one!" "Got it?" "Thank you." "Thank you, Yao." "I think shopping tired him out more than playing did." "Hey, Colin, everyone's really nice in there... but no more autographs today." "Excuse me, Yao?" " Thank you." " Mm-hmm." "Just being around him put me at ease... - and... and made me feel like, "You know, this is..." ""he's gonna be a really great person to work with."" "And I think it was important for Yao Ming to feel... that he had somebody that he could trust... and... and just talk to." "I..." "I think that the coming year for Yao Ming... is gonna be a great year." "Eric and Christy, you know season openers... are big for the Indiana Pacers... but this is, ahem, extra big... with Yao Ming, 7'5"..." ""Sports Illustrated's" cover boy... making his NBA debut tonight." "Listen, right now, he's done so good through the practices... with all the things that we've given him... so much information... uh, but as time goes by... everything will become natural." "Hey, yo, new center, baby." "Everybody get funky." "Understand something, man." "We can beat they ass, tonight, every night." "Think about how we felt last year... when we wasn't in the playoffs." "Everybody here got to cruise." "It's all good, baby." "It's all good." "Rockets, on three." " One, two, three..." " Rockets!" "I think everybody was pretty ex cited... to see what he was all about, you know?" "Nobody had really watched him play." "Let's go." "Let's go, rookie." "It is the grand unveiling of Yao Ming." "At 7'5", 280..." "Let's go." "Let's go." "Yao Ming, watching the first quarter from the bench... and stepping on the floor." "Things speeding around right now... and ahead of Yao Ming and... and there is Bender." "Goes up against Ming... and beats him." "Boy, tough play." "Ming is having his difficulty getting on track offensively." "I guess people might've been concerned... that he was, you know, just a big, clumsy oaf... because he, uh, didn't look too graceful that first game." "Here is Yao Ming with the quick spin... and again stripped." "And Yao's gonna see a lot of that." "Yao Ming... we have not seen him since the second quarter." "A lot of disappointed, tired 300 million... watching on in China, they're not seeing much... from their hero, their treasure." "He didn't score, and he was universally hailed as a bust." "I think Americans and American media... want instant gratification." "Yao Ming, in just 11 minutes, did not score." "One of the things that he had to get used to right away... is the speed of the game... and also the, uh, aggressiveness that is played." "The guys in the NBA go right at you... and they're strong, they're quick." "Loose ball picked up by Jackson... takes it in and slams it down!" "Stephen Jackson gives the Spurs a one-point lead!" "Hilario from behind, sends it away." "He's gotta get under the basket." "He's 7'5"." "This isn't International League." "You gotta dunk that." "Now he's already behind the eight ball." "People are saying he's a bust, he's not really as good... the Rockets have made a mistake." "Let him go by him." "Clear out and let..." "They don't have that kind of crossover in Shanghai." "I think Marion was in shock... as the entire Suns bench went sideways!" "Hey, he might be a good player one day, but he ain't ready." " Are we gonna make the bet?" " Yao Ming?" "He said Yao Ming gonna get 19 points." "If he get 19 points in a game, I'll kiss his ass right here." "I'm telling you, he had 12 points... and 18 rebounds..." "no, that was Shawn Bradley." "Yao Ming makes Shawn Bradley look like Bill Russell." "The biggest pressure... is the expectations put on by different people... as everyone is watching and hoping that I play well." "Colin would say, "Hey, don't worry." ""You're new." "You're still adjusting." ""Everybody goes through this."" "Hey, Yao Ming." "Having to go through the plays, I mean, like..." ""Wow, there's a lot of stuff to learn here."" "And I think Yao Ming as well was confused at first... but I think a lot of that was just the terminology... and learning the system." "Yao Ming..." "Ugh." "I don't know what to tell him." "It's gonna be a work in progress." "I think Colin's feelings were basically... you know, he was..." "obviously had to be nervous." "I'm very sorry." "We are all rookie, huh?" "Rookie." "My only bit of skepticism early on... was the fact that he was so young... and I just wondered if, you know... someone that maybe was a little bit older... and could maybe portray the image of..." ""Hey, I've done this a million times before." ""Don't worry about it." "I'll walk you through it."" "Uh, you know, Yao Ming didn't really have that." "He had someone that was probably more nervous than he was." "Just get some rest and keep positive." "You're doing very good." "Your English is getting better." "In six months, you don't want no more interpreter." "All right." "I was always worried about... that I'm gonna mistranslate something in front of everybody." "Everybody's gonna say, "Oh, this guy sucks"... but the pressure on him was so much greater." "Damn!" "That one drill." "Just rest for a second." "If you get tired, just tell the coaches." ""I want to rest."" ""Random"..." "If the previous play was not successful... they'll call "random."" "And this guy will come down and you have to set a pick for him." "It's called random." "Write it down for me." ""Random."" "Even routine physical therapy... was like explaining a whole culture." "He says the Chinese doctor gave him some ointment... that he's using." "We'll probably... he's probably never had a stim on it." "A what?" "One of those electrical stims... where it stimulates the blood flow." "Do you want to do that?" "We probably will." "I mean..." "They want to put electricity in you." "No, it doesn't hurt." "No hurt." " You won't even feel it." " Really?" " Nothing yet?" " A little." " A little?" " Yeah, a little." "OK." "OK." "All right, all right." "Have you done this before?" "Our method is a little different." "We use needles..." "you know those needles?" "Acupuncture." "Acupuncture." "Ac-u-punc-ture." "Ac..." "Ac-u-punc-ture." "Acupuncture." "Mm-hmm." " You never try, huh?" " No." "It's nice." "Really nice." "Yeah." "When we came home to Houston it was like a huge celebration." "Yay, Yao Ming!" "Whoo!" "Yao Ming!" "Whoo!" "Yao Ming!" "Coco Lee... the biggest pop star in Asia... was there... and all of it only made the pressure worse." "Hey, Yao, you know Coco Lee?" " Yeah, I saw her." " Saw her?" "Yeah, she was here." "All right, come on." "Whoo!" "...and I love NBA NBA sports!" "Whoo!" "Yao." "She's pretty hot, Yao." " Yeah?" " Yeah." "You get a date with that?" "Ha ha ha!" "Hi, Yao." "How you doing?" "I'll see if I can help you out." "Do you have a bed yet?" "Do you have a long bed yet?" " He ordered one." " OK." "'Cause my wife is an interior decorator... and she has a connection... where they would make a custom-made bed." "They just ordered one." "Good." "Get some good sleep." "Ha ha!" "♪ O'er the land of the free ♪" "♪ And the home of the ♪" "♪ Brave ♪" "That roar you hear from the crowd..." "Yao Ming!" "And the Rockets turn the ball over." "We can't give them a free one!" "It's like teaching a child or something." "90 different things at one time." "You know, he's expected to learn it on sight." "He'll get used to it." "He'll get used to it." "I mean, it might take him... it might take him a week, it might take him a month... it might take him a year, but he'll get used to it." "I could tell that Yao was a little discouraged... but he never backed off, and neither did the Rockets." "Ha!" "Sometimes it was hard to watch... but they just kept throwing things at him... showing him that they knew he could get better." "Go quicker." "Four... five." "Good work." "The challenge, you know, will be for you and Steve... to instill that level of nastiness and meanness..." " Aggressiveness." " In the biggest moments." "'Cause you know what I was thinking?" "He's, like, 21, 22 right now... and in their culture, it's like, disrespectful... to, like, dominate your opponent." "To kill him." "Yeah, we gotta get him into that kill mode... 'cause if we get him to, like, the Shaq kill mode... he can kill everybody." "Watch me teach my big man to play." "He gonna be ready to go." "Trust me." "Yep." "You know, he likes being with his team." "When he's ready to come here and make the pass, then go." "Oh, yeah!" "Ohh!" "That's it." "I don't even want to see no more" "You know, I said earlier that, um..." "I just had very little doubt... that he's gonna be a good NBA player." "But my gut feeling was that he has a chance to be great." " I think he could be great." " Yeah." "I really do think he could be great." "I got to wash his back for him." "You know, he can't reach it." "The team knew Yao was starting to get it... but almost no one else did." "When we went to Los Angeles to play the Lakers... for the first time... everyone was watching to see the train wreck." "Will this be the week that I have to kiss Kenny's ass?" "Hey, why would you do that?" "I told you, if Yao Ming gets 19 points in a game this year..." "I'm gonna kiss his ass right here in front of everybody." "'Cause he said... he said Yao Ming was the best player in Houston." "Chow Ming is like..." " Not Chow Ming." " Ha ha ha!" "You never stop thinking about food." "Ha ha ha!" "What better place to be than the home... of the world champion Los Angeles Lakers... as the Lakers embark on a journey... for their fourth consecutive NBA title." "We got our dynasties... and the Lakers are a dynasty reaching back... to the time of George Mikan and Elgin Baylor and Jerry West." "To come up against them, hey, that's... that's something very, very special." "Even with Shaq sitting out with an injury..." "Yao was expected to self-destruct." "Lakers look sharp as can be." "They have come dedicated and determined... to get this done and put it away early." "The Rockets are just being destroyed." "It's embarrassing." "Yeah, Yao!" "Yao Ming..." "What's wrong with Houston?" "It's a big puzzle." "You can't leave him, Slava." "Yao Ming with the slam dunk." "Baseline 18-footer." "Ming with the offensive rebound." "Ming's down inside." "Ming's got the lay-up." "Ming wants to turn baseline and does." "Reverse lay-up is good!" "And Yao Ming looking very solid so far... against the Los Angeles Lakers." "As part of his game, Yao Ming has got..." "When everybody's criticizing you..." "I mean, when Charles Barkley, a person that you look up to... it's gotta... it's gotta give you a little fire." "I mean, that kind of competitive spirit makes a great player." "It was ex citing." "It was so ex citing to see him play like that." "Houston's got it." "They did not blow that dead." "Here comes Francis." "Drop pass to Yao Ming!" "The lay-up and the foul!" "The big fella running the floor." "Now the double-team." "To Hawkins." "Hawkins to Yao." "Yao!" "And pucker up, Charles!" "Pucker those lips!" "Big boy!" "Pucker it up!" "Pucker up, Charles!" "Number one, I've always said I hope the kid plays well." "Ha ha ha!" "Get out of here." "Leave me alone." "You said he..." "you said he couldn't play." "You said he sucked!" "And you said he's the best player in Houston." "And it's starting to show." "Yeah, baby!" "Yeah!" "Hey!" "Good job!" "Hey!" "Whoo!" "Come on, man!" "The game in Los Angeles was a huge step for Yao Ming." "It was his first time on a big... on the big stage where he was able to show off... his incredible abilities." "Shaq did not play in the game." "He was obviously in the background." "Um, did you notice him sitting, or did you see where he was?" "Heh heh." "He's like a shadow, always in the background." "You want me to hold those for you?" "Nah, I have to hold them myself..." "I'm still a rookie." "When you become close to somebody... it's hard not to get personally involved." "So when I got to see him play like that... it was just..." "it's a great feeling." "Can't wait to see TNT." "Can't wait to see it." "I don't want to hear anything about any..." "I don't want Charles to renege on anything." "I want him to remember his comments about Yao." "I can't wait to watch him." "I went out and bought a donkey the other day." "Kiss my ass." "You're trying to humiliate me." "I'm a man of my word." "You're a man of your word." "Uh-oh." "Ha ha ha!" "He's gonna kick him!" "He's gonna kick him!" "He's gonna... he's gonna kick him." "He kissed it!" "Yes!" "What is Ming's reaction?" "I can tell by the grin..." "I thought Charles Barkley was pretty funny." "I don't think he meant any harm to me... but he just wanted to cause a reaction... and disagree for that sake." " Did you see that?" " What?" "Charles Barkley kiss a..." "kissed the donkey's..." "Do you want to eat snake tonight?" "Can you find some?" "Hey, do you want to try snake tonight?" " Huh?" " Snake." "You want to eat some snake tonight?" "No?" "Don't tell him." "Just let him eat it." "Ah, perfect." "Just tell him it's chicken." "♪ Yao Ming ♪" "♪ Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming ♪" "All of sudden, there were a lot of Yao Ming fans." "♪ Yao Ming ♪" "♪ Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming ♪" "I love you, Yao!" "We all love him." "Not only Chinese, you got Mexican..." "Hispanic, black, African, everyone." "We all love you, Yao Ming." "♪ Yao Ming ♪" "Yo, what the hell... yo, did y'all hear that song yesterday?" "♪ Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming... ♪" "That's crazy, man." " Yo, you hear that song?" " Yeah, I hear." "They singing..." "♪ Yao Ming ♪" "Ha ha ha!" "People stupid, y'all." "They crazy." "Yao Ming turns, fires, and hits it." "To have an Asian player be able to do hoops... how about that?" "Shaquille O'Neal, eat your heart out... because Yao Ming is coming." "Seven seconds, Yao Ming goes baseline..." "Yao Ming slams it home!" "Yao Ming is the answer to the NBA, 'cause you know why?" "Because they're a bunch of lazy millionaires." "Yao Ming, baseline, got it!" "Yao Ming come in here with a work ethic... the determination to prove himself." "Yao Ming, bring some more of your boys over." "No good looks whatsoever for the Rockets." "Rice... the follow by the big guy!" "Throw it down, big man!" "I'm gonna have to work on "throw it down" in Mandarin." "Yes, you are." "You know, when they talk about him in China... it was a little suspect, but he's... he's "bona fi-dee." Bona fide." "...front court to Mobley... and it comes to Ming!" "Please sign this for me!" "Yao!" "Yao!" "Mr. Ming!" "Francis will get it." "Nice throw back out to Yao Ming." "He has not made a three..." "until now." "I think he has a bright future ahead of him." "I like the way he's handling it." "He's playing one-on-one... and these guys are really giving it to him every night." "Oh!" "Over-the-head pass by Yao Ming!" "Oh, yowza, yowza, yowza!" "Oh, what a baseline move by Yao Ming!" "Well, let's just say he's learning how to play the game." "He's smooth on the court, and he seems like a sweet guy... and I understand what all the fuss is about." "Yao Ming puts the finishing touches... on a spectacular game." "Yeah!" "Yao Ming posted thirty." " First of all, let me clarify..." " Yao Ming goes for 30!" "Kenny said that I said Yao Ming couldn't play... and that's inaccurate." "I didn't say that." "You said that." "I thought Yao Ming..." "I think he's got a chance of being a good player." "I just didn't think it would happen this soon." "Your mom gonna cook for me?" "Tell your mom to cook for me." "All right?" "And then you eat my food." "Chinese food, black food." "Black food." "Soul food!" "Soul food." " Soul." "Soul." "Soul." " Oh." "Oh." "When I first met him, I didn't think... that he would be, you know, that loose." "Looks can be deceiving." "A lot of people will just think that he's just a 7'5" stiff." "Ooh!" "He hit your head?" "Anything else after basketball, Yao might hurt you." "Driving..." "He just almost knocked homeboy out with his golf swing." "He is like a goodwill ambassador from China." "In Chinese basketball, we tend to emphasize teamwork... a lot more than in the NBA." "They tend to lay stress... all the more on individual performance." "So, in a way, Yao Ming combines... the best of the East and the West." "Everywhere you went, there would be this Asian night... or this welcome, you know..." ""We'd like to welcome Yao Ming"... and some kung fu demonstration or lion dance... or dragon dance or some of the less apropos moments." "A fortune cookie night..." "Yao Ming, baby." "Number one draft pick, 2002." "Number one." "Shanghainese brother right there." "In one respect, I think they're out there supporting me... and giving me encouragement." "Also, there's a lot of added pressure... put on me by these people." "I just think that he wants people... to appreciate the game of basketball... and not turn it into anything racial at all." "I know he was absorbing... how different his life was here versus China." "There is this thing that happens in California... well, all over the U. S... there is something called "Road Rage..."" "when a driver gets really pissed off." "When another driver drives poorly, cuts you off... or drives too slow." "People get so angry, they have guns in their cars... and actually shoot people!" "In China, do they let you have guns?" "No way, man!" "That's much better." "Just about every day was a culture clash for Yao... but during the holidays, you could really see... how much of an adjustment he had to make." "Thanksgiving is, you know... the quintessential American holiday." "You know, nobody else has Thanksgiving." "We were in Seattle, and we had a big team dinner... down in the W Hotel in Seattle." "Yao Ming was pretty ex cited to try turkey." "Dig in." " Dig in?" " Dig in." "The relief is coming." "Yeah!" "Happy Thanksgiving, Yao." "If you're not sure what you want to eat, just ask me." "What do you typically eat?" "We usually eat..." "This is cranberry." "We start off with a cranberry dish." "It's a kind of red berry." "For us in China, when it's time to sow the fields... families come together... to thank heaven for what they have... and pray for a good harvest and ample food for the family." "For now, the Rockets are my family... my second family." "Coming from a family of athletes..." "Yao had a pretty comfortable childhood." "When Yao was a child, he was very active." "Very active." "He was quite naughty." "He was big, but quite naughty." "He tried to do everything he can do." "But he was also being watched." "By age nine, he was in a sport school." "And by fourteen, he was already a member... of the Shanghai Sharks." "By the time Yao was nineteen, he was a nationally known star." "He belongs to basketball." "Everybody think that because he's big... he should play basketball." "That's... that's why." "He had to grow up fast." "And he already had a feeling that if he wanted any say... in which way his life would go... he'd have to stretch the lines of traditional conformity." "I have to admit that, having felt pretty lost at times... it didn't sound like a bad deal." "Having a feeling of destiny... even if you give up a little freedom... sounded like a good trade." "But the more time we spent together... the better I understood the burden he carried... in coming here." "Besides basketball, what is Yao most thankful for?" "What are some of the things he's most thankful for?" "Yeah, him." "High-five." "High-five." "Christmas was a little less hectic." "We just had a good time." "We got Yao Ming a fishing rod for Christmas... and he took it out and tried to fish... in the little man-made lake off the dock... that they had in the backyard." "No, they didn't catch anything." "...the Los Angeles Lakers, it's still their world... until somebody takes it away from them." "Happy holidays from the NBA and ABC sports." "Merry Christmas from ABC sports, home of the NBA Finals." "Yao Ming sent a Christmas card... to every single player and person that he was... that he knew fairly well on the Rockets." "And one of the announcers... he said, you know, "This is the first Christmas card..." ""I've ever gotten from a player and probably the last."" "New Year's Eve was another story." "We spent it on a plane." "We had to go to Los Angeles... for Yao's first commercial shoot." "The rest of the team was off doing some serious partying... but we settled for a bottle of champagne." "I'm watching everyone celebrate down there." "A 1996 bottle of Cristal here... donated by the gracious Kelvin Cato." "He gave all the... his Houston Rockets teammates a bottle... and we thought we'd celebrate the new year... by popping open a nice, expensive bottle of champagne." "Oh, here it goes." "Whoo!" "OK, guys, everybody..." "Happy New Year." "Happy New Year." "Everybody tried to set him up with dates." "The most we could get him to do was... like, go to Cheesecake Factory with us." "A lot of girls in Houston, they were begging to get Yao... just to come to the mall or something like that." "So, you never know." "It's not that Yao didn't like to have fun." "It's more that he only had so much time... for all the new experiences... and that he figured hanging out at the mall could wait." "Settle up." "Colin, I'm sorry..." "I just need you to stay with Yao so that..." "Absolutely." "OK." "Roll, please!" "Roll sound!" "Take one." "Marker." "And action." "Huge head you have!" "Ha ha!" "What'd he say?" "That's a cut." "I'm just jittery." "In China, there really isn't yet... an established celebrity culture." "Up until Deng threw open the economy... the only real celebrity they ever had was Mao." "And it's just not something... that people get a charge out of being." "Modesty is a virtue that is enshrined in China." "Here we go!" "This one's for picture." "Kind of just..." "a little bit of whimsical." "He's curious, like, "Oh," Like, "You have one, too?"" "That's..." "That's it." "Yeah, now." "I think he's really charming and working real hard at... and at the same time... he seems very comfortable and very natural." "And I think everyone now really enjoys knowing... the humanity of the players in the game." "I think he can be amazing." "So how was your first commercial?" "You're hawking products, that's what you're doing." "There's really no serious way to hawk products." "And every commercial I've seen Yao... he has the ability to make fun of himself." "Can I write a check?" "Yo." "Yao." "Yo!" "Yao." "And action!" "One more." "All right." "It was really interesting to see Yao deal... with becoming a celebrity." "It was like he wasn't supposed to enjoy it at all... but he did, and people really responded to it." "Barring a startling change in voter turnout..." "ESPN can pretty much project Yao Ming... as the starting center in next month's NBA all-star game." "With the majority of the precincts reporting..." "Yao has 230,000 more votes than Shaquille O'Neal." "Tonight, Shaq gets his first chance to prove... that regardless of the popular vote... he is still the choice of the electoral college." "It's Shaq-Yao 1 tonight on ESPN." "Now, Shaq'll be way back." "Eddie's gotta be gone." "Let's do that again." "If you see him coming over here... go to this spot so Shaq'll go there... and you got this." "Boy, you know, this is tough." "He's going up against the master... and he's just the young, new kid on the block." "Right now, I'm just plain ol' Shaq... but once the ball comes up, bring it to me." "Drop-step, hook, dunk." "Up off the rim... oh, man, what a dunk by O'Neal!" "Oh, baby!" "Save the women and children on that one!" "The more you whine, the more bigger I get." "And the more bigger I get," "I get strong." "And the more stronger I get, nobody can stop me." "Agile, mobile, and starting to become hostile." "Just too big." "Just too strong." "Just too good." "No human alive playing basketball... can stop that man." "When you're representing your home country... and then, now you got to show your skills... against, you know, the player... the most dominant player, actually, for... as a big man... for the last twelve years he's been in this league." "There's gonna be a tremendous amount of pressure... on him tonight." "Five hours before tip-off Friday night... the organization of Chinese-Americans... will hold a press conference... in front of the Compaq Center in Houston... to condemn Shaq's pidgin English shout-out to Yao." "Heh heh heh heh heh!" "Wang Zu, whatever your name is... you want some of Shaq Fu?" "Come get it." "I'll be waiting for you." "O'Neal said he was joking and has since apologized... for offending anybody... but the O.C.A. Says that was "a hollow excuse..." ""to justify his prior racist statement."" "Yao Ming, man." "You don't know the man's name?" "No, man." "Come on, man." "The man's 7'5", man!" "OK." "And?" "OK, he's 7'5"." "All right, now, Shaq." "The man really did say... let me break the thing down for you." "See, "He's a mountain..." "he's a mountain in my way."" "OK." ""I will try to conquer it by all means necessary."" "Got a little bit of that, uh..." "And I'll be ready." "Bit of that Malcolm X in him." ""By all means necessary."" "A Chinese with a little bit of brother in him." "What you gonna do with that?" "What you gonna..." "All right, now." "You know what?" "Beware of this." "I'm gonna drop-step and put it right there." "Ohh!" "The aggressive comments that Shaq made... were a bit of a challenge to Yao... and how would he react to them... and I thought he handled it all... with just the right combination of diplomacy... and willingness to stand his ground." "I think one of the most positive things about America... is that everybody can fight for equality." "But on the court, sometimes there's inequality." "Shaq's a lot bigger and stronger than me." "He was sensitive to the fact... that it was offensive to certain people... but to himself, he didn't take it personally." "I think he looked at it as just Shaq being Shaq." "So you drove 500 miles for this game, huh?" "Yes, we did." "That's an awful lot of driving." "What would make you do that?" "I want to see a good basketball game." "Two real centers playing basketball." "Everyone wants to see Shaquille O'Neal... and Yao Ming play." "His first time, Yao Ming won't be ready." "It's like a big brother... beating up on his younger brother." "The 76ers are no good anymore." "A few years ago, when they played the Lakers... that was a great matchup." "There's always..." "historically... in the Chinese athletic establishment... an attitude of, "Oh, we're not strong..." ""we're not powerful..." ""but we can do the clever, finesse things." ""We can be gymnasts and divers." ""We'll leave it to... to the westerners..." ""to be power lifters."" "How many points will Yao Ming score today?" "Maybe two points?" "And to see one of their own go to this American league... and play center, the power position..." "I think that has to be a source of great pride... to the Chinese people... to see one of their own going up against Shaq." "Yao Ming!" "I'm so proud to be involved in the development... of such a special athlete." "For him to be performing in the NBA on such a big stage... makes me very happy." "Yao Ming did talk about the pressure... he felt from China quite a lot... and I think that was the most pressure... beyond anything the American media... beyond anything that American fans could give him." "I think he felt if he could, you know... help China out in any way... that's something that he is very honored to do." "That being said, I think that he felt it's unfair to place... an entire country's hopes on one person" "There was a buzz in that arena... that's unlike anything I've been a part of in basketball." "At center, number 34, 7'1"..." "Shaquille O'Neal." "And now the starting lineup." "At center, 7'6" From China... number 11, Yao Ming!" "♪ Ming, Ming, Ming, Ming ♪" "♪ Yao Ming, Yao Ming ♪" "♪ Yao Ming, Ming, Ming, Ming ♪" "♪ Yao Ming, Yao Ming ♪" "♪ Ming, Ming, Ming, Ming ♪" "♪ Yao Ming, Yao Ming ♪" "Woo-hoo!" "I don't think you've ever had a match-up... in basketball of that magnitude since Russell and Chamberlain." "You have that potential with these two guys." "They're watching live in Shanghai... at 10:30 in the morning as O'Neal goes right at Ming." "Yao Ming wide open." "Samaki Walker, good job slowing down the big man." "Yao, first touch." "So many big names and big fellas in the game..." "Second block on O'Neal!" "Trying to go to his jump hook." "In transition." "Yao on the other end!" "This is a stunning start." " O'Neal..." " Look out!" "Up strong with help." "Loses the handle!" "...since the days of Hakeem Olajuwon." "Preparation, knees flex." "Attempt a three." "Ming!" "He's calling for the ball." "He's just going... right at the league's most valuable player." "There's Shaq... inside." "Wearing Yao Ming down and out." "...at the top, getting it down to Shaquille O'Neal." "Turning inside, he slams it home." "Aah!" "He just pushed him over!" "Mobley gets the good pass from Yao Ming." "O'Neal, beautiful baseline move." "So, they're gonna take the ball up to the big fella." "Over to Steve from Yao." "Ties the game at 92!" "Kobe's gonna shoot it here." "Watched by Mobley." "Bryant tries." "Over Ming!" "Shaq rebounds." "It doesn't count!" "It doesn't count!" "The buzzer already sounded!" "We will have overtime." "Yao, you gotta grab his arms like this... so he can't pound the ball up." "Nine on the shot clock, twenty seconds left in the game." "Yao Ming comes out." "Drives out close to Bryant." "Goes out over Francis." "Three seconds left." "Steve down in..." "Yao!" "Yao!" "Yes, I felt like I was underwater for a long time... and I can finally breathe." "After the game against Shaq..." "Yao got calls from practically everyone he knew in China." "Yao's fame had reached an all-time high." "And by the time he got to the All-Star Game in Atlanta... there was a huge buzz around him." "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Where's Colin?" "Is he with you?" "Colin?" "We forgot Colin." "You forgot Colin?" "You left him way back there?" "You need a credit card." "Do you have a credit card?" "Can I write a check?" "Ha ha ha!" "Yao!" "What's up?" "How you doing?" "Good." "Congratulations on your first one, all right?" " You having some fun?" " Yeah." "He ain't having no fun with all these people walking around." "Man, get this camera out of here!" "The All-Star Game is like the world's biggest party... thrown for all the best players in the world... and it went on 24 hours a day." "Yao!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao!" "I can't say it in Chinese!" "Yao's mom?" "Nice to meet you, Mom." "Pleasure to meet you." "Thank you." "We're gonna go out this way." "It was the full range of American pop culture... crammed into one weekend." "It was fun, a little crazy, and totally overwhelming." "Yao's face was so, like... there was cameras at his toes, on his fingernails... on his head, everywhere." "He's been put in a situation where he's gotta represent... millions and millions of people... and the one thing, when you do that... you just want to enjoy yourself." "You don't want to feel like you're burdened to do something." "OK, smile again, though." "Yikes!" "How long is this gonna take?" "Five minutes." "What's up, guys?" "What's up, Yao?" "How are you?" "I don't know how to say "smile."" "He knows what "smile" is." "He pretending he doesn't know." "Watch your back." "When I looked at the schedule..." "I was totally shocked." "They take you from this room to the next room to another room... to attend different events, to meet fans." "The whole all-star weekend was exhausting." "There you go." "Your first All-Star." "Crazy, huh?" "I told you." "Ha ha ha!" "Everybody's gonna want to interview him." "Any time he leaves his room... people are gonna want to talk to him... and he's got to be on all the time." "You know what?" "He's gotta learn the magic word... "No."" "In his first NBA season... 7'5" Center Yao Ming!" "Loose, loose!" "Get loose!" " Get what?" " Loose." "Relax." "Live from Phillips Arena in Atlanta... welcome to the 52nd annual NBA All-Star Game... and a special one it is." "It is the final appearance of Michael Jordan... and Yao Ming will start at center... representing China." "Lineup change..." "we've got Michael Jordan... guarding Kevin Garnett." "See the lob over the top." "Yao moving without the ball." "By the time of All-Star weekend..." "I worried that no matter how strong mentally Yao was... the press demands, the commercials and travel... all of which contributed to the excitement of the year... now threatened to undermine his season." "Can I have your autograph?" "No." "If you know that I'm being whisked from place to place... why are you asking me if I have time to spend with my family?" "Next question." "Got this 50 Cent in here, boy." "Every time anybody talk about Joe Louis... somebody gotta bring up Rocky Marciano." "Ha ha ha!" "Is that life on the road?" "Always tired, yo." "Sometimes..." "sometimes, like... you don't even want to do nothing... but there's probably things you could do... like, in the daytime, but you're traveling so much... your body wear out fast, man." "People don't realize that your body wear out fast... like you drained, man." "You get drained." "Now we got to go out tomorrow... - and do the same thing, or people get mad." "You know what I'm saying?" "There's millions that watch you." "They don't know it's not easy." "I'm not complaining." "I'm not complaining." "I love it, but they don't realize... how hard it is doing this." "Bye." "Thank you." "Bye." "It's slippery outside." "Watch out for the ice." "I lived Yao Ming's schedule... and I was..." "I didn't play basketball." "I sat on the side, and I was exhausted." "I mean, I didn't have a personal life for 7 months... and obviously he didn't." "Really." "I like the day off before an away game... so I have some time to explore the new cities." "Too bad the opportunities are few." "The Washington trip, when we got up there... it was very cold." "I think it was snowing... the entire time we were there... and it was kind of gloomy and getting to that point... where it was, you know, becoming more of a grind." "The one memory I have of the Lincoln Memorial... is from the "Planet of the Apes."" "In a way, it was kind of an indicator... of how things were going with our season as well." "Not me." "I wouldn't do that!" "Whoa!" "Good hit!" "We were in a frantic playoff hunt... trying to fight off fatigue... and the crushing burden of expectations." "One of the things that Yao told us... was that his first time seeing the Houston Rockets... was when they won the championships... so the expectations for the Houston Rockets... and for Yao Ming is..." "can be described in one word..." ""championship."" "When we returned to Houston for the final playoff push..." "Yao tried so hard to lift the team." "At that point, we had the eighth spot... for the playoffs within our grasp." "We actually were in control of that spot." "And this one is over, folks." "Houston wins." "A big win for the Rockets at home." "Here's the final score..." "But then the team faced a devastating bombshell." "Going into the locker room, Rudy didn't look very happy." "He was sitting in the chair, very stoic." "I think talking to you guys is a little bit easier... than talking to those guys in there." "I didn't know what to say, but..." "When Rudy announced that he was sick... and was taking a leave of absence... it was a very strange... kind of..." "it was kind of surreal." "You know, when you just take it day by day and whatever..." "I don't think he specifically said... that he had cancer... but he said the doctors had found something... and everybody was kind of shocked." "It was hard because it was, you know... it's an emotionally charged..." "emotionally charged setting... and Rudy was choked up." "He was really upset." "It was clear that Coach..." "you know, he was worried... and he was really sad that he had to leave the team." "And as much as I love this team... and as much as I would love to give 100%..." "I know that my thoughts would be on some... some other things... and I just think this is the right thing to do." "It became clear pretty quickly that Rudy was going to be OK." "Yao had so much respect for him that when he left..." "I could tell that it really affected Yao." "Everyone's thoughts were on Rudy and his departure from the team." "I was extremely sad." "Taylor swings it." "Rice inside." "Here's Yao." "Into the paint." "Lays it up short." "Goes back." "Missed the dunk follow." "I believe that the cumulative effect... of all of the things that he went through... eventually, at the end of the season... really sort of brought him down... and it was very obvious in his performances... towards the end of the season that he was running out of gas." "See, he's basically almost walking." "They're coming down on offense... and he's getting back very late... as opposed to pushing down the court." "From the time I was selected as the first pick... up until I came to play in the U. S..." "I had a lot of pressure on me, always a lot of pressure." "This had a lot of negative effects on me... even to the point where I couldn't sleep at night." "Yao Ming..." "highly disappointing." "16 minutes, 1 of 9." "I think, at the end of the game... if it weren't for my turnovers... the result would've been different." "I had the chance to win the game... but I didn't come through." "The playoffs... it's like a door." "For us, the door is not completely open." "The door is cracked slightly... and we all have to push through that door together." "And, of course, as it turned out... the most crucial game of the season... was against Shaq and the Lakers." "The Rockets and the Lakers do battle... and both are involved in a chase now for the playoffs." "And to say they're a bit nervous in Houston... would be an understatement." "It all ends tonight... one way or the other, here in Houston." "Shaquille O'Neal jumping against Yao Ming." "We'll be seeing that for a long time." "On the outside, there's Yao Ming faking." "Got Shaq in the air." "Tipped up and in!" "Oh, no." "Tipped up and in by Yao Ming will not..." "Oh!" "Shaquille O'Neal just elbowed Yao Ming into the first row." "And Shaquille... slams it over Yao Ming." "And a collision." "Looks like Yao Ming's nose." "Personal foul, number 11, Yao Ming... his second." "Yao is hurting." "Knockout punch." "So the foul was called on Yao Ming, his second... and there are his folks, looking on... concerned, of course." "Both ears are still ringing." "Shaquille O'Neal will not be denied." "And that's the game." "The Lakers win." "Oh, what a terrible way to end... what has been a tremendous season." "It's hard enough just playing the game itself... but you factor in the pressure of being the number one pick... also you factor in him being Chinese... there's never been a player... who has been through this type of scrutiny." "I don't think Yao felt that the season was a loss for him... or for the people that expected so much of him." "Yao Ming has played a very important role... in enhancing the cultural understanding... between our two peoples, particularly the youngsters." "Yao Ming's gonna tell everybody a story... about George Washington." "Yao Ming wants to know if you guys know... what the story is about, what it means." "Telling the truth." "Is it about telling the truth?" "Yeah." "Come on, clap for Yao Ming." "Yay!" "Yao demonstrates that he's here to learn... about a new culture... while being very true to his own culture." "Colin, can you ask him how important you are... to his transition?" "How important am I to your transition to the NBA... and to America?" ""I'll recommend you to the next Chinese player."" "In Colin, he found someone... that could be his friend, that he could confide in... that he could tell certain things to... that maybe he didn't feel comfortable telling others... and Colin became just one of the guys." "The other day when we were eating pizza... you ate more than I did." "Pizza." "Uh, I ate more than you did?" "Yeah." "You ate more than me." " Are you sure?" " Yeah, I'm sure." " I don't think so." " I think so." "Colin's a Rocket himself... and I thought he did a good job of helping Yao." "He just took his time with everything... and I thought it was good that they were able to... you know, to learn from each other." "Sometimes I'd ask Yao if he felt like... he'd completed some sort of mission... but he'd always just make a joke." "Back in China, whenever I set the table for dinner..." "I'll put a place setting for him with a nameplate." ""Colin Pine, rest in peace."" "Yao, where are you going right now?" " Huh?" " Where are you going right now?" "I'm going west." " Go east." " No, west." " Houston is east." " West." "No, he's going to China." "He's probably doing more bridging... than he realizes he's doing." "I do think he is representing, um, a generation of Asians... that Americans certainly don't see and don't understand... and I think if we can all look back 20 years from now... you'll probably see Yao Ming... as one of those transitional points... one of those bridges that made all that happen." "Yao Ming has become a symbol... of China's turning from an inward-looking nation... to an outward-looking nation... and he has captured the imagination... and, I think, the hearts of millions and millions... of Americans and people throughout the world." "And he's doing it with good humor... and, I think, good spirits." "I think Yao took away a greater understanding of himself... and what he could do." "I think that he took away a really strong sense... of the barriers he could overcome." "Colin and I accomplished big things together this year." "He taught me a lot about America... the people, and its culture." "Also I think he took away... a sense of what makes America tick... and what made him want to go home." "Don't be calling me in the middle of the night." "Beyond just being a translator..." "I wanted to be a friend." "He definitely looked out for me a lot." "He's a person that I will always keep in touch with." "You know, we've developed a strong friendship... and that's what's important to me." "Let me know if you need anything from the States... while you are gone." "I'll try to come visit you in China." "Go home, get out of here." "Go on." "Hey!" "I was sad to see him go, and I knew I was gonna miss him." "And I know he was ready to go home." "He was much more than a translator to me." "He helped me through everything." "We were like brothers." "It's funny." "In some ways..." "I don't really know that much about Yao." "But at the same time, I feel like I do understand him." "As Yao left..." "I was reminded of an old Chinese proverb I had read." ""To understand the people..." ""you must first greet your neighbor"... and so I had." "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "First play for Jeff Van Gundy and his Houston Rockets." "There's Yao Ming with his first field goal!" "Yao Ming!" "Yao Ming!" "Are you sad that this is over?" "I mean, that's what I'm happy for, you know?" "And sad being I have to leave home again." "Ripped by:" "SkyFury"