Yao the face of Houston and the new NBA

(Agency)
Updated: 2006-02-19 14:11

It seems almost unfair that a player who stands 7-foot-6 should find his stature growing by the day. Yao Ming served as a figurative ambassador from China in his first All-Star appearance in 2003, and here he is again, dusting off the welcome mat for his adopted hometown.

The NBA has descended on Houston this weekend for its annual All-Star event and, whether he likes it or not, Yao is again front and center. He is making his fourth straight start for the Western Conference and will be joined by a record-breaking five international All-Stars.

Of the numerous exciting stories here -- Detroit represented by four players; Flip Saunders flopping over to the Eastern Conference sidelines; Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Chris Bosh all earning their first trips -- Yao still manages to be in the spotlight.

"The league has been looking for a global face and Yao is just that," said nine-time All-Star Kevin Garnett, by way of an explanation.

Yao was admittedly nervous as a first-time All-Star in Atlanta, and he played verbal ping-pong with the media. Asked then what he most wanted to do, he answered "I would like to leave this place as soon as possible," in rapid-fire Chinese.

Flash forward to Friday's interview session, where he was asked the same question: "Get here for the media on time," he replied in English.

There is a certain mischief and pride to his words that Tracy McGrady also projected while seated at a nearby table. McGrady had planned to skip the media event to deal with "personal family issues," but apparently relented under pressure from the league. The two Rockets All-Stars are ambassadors for Houston, which, though not a destination city, has been a playground for the sporting world recently.

The Super Bowl, World Series, PGA Tour Championship, and Major League Baseball's All-Star Game have all happened here in the past three years. Yao and McGrady were counted on to make this a basketball city again, similar to the mid-1990s when the "Clutch City" Rockets won back-to-back NBA championships.

Earlier this season, there was talk of the Rockets challenging San Antonio and Dallas for Western Conference supremacy after last year's 51-31 run, but injuries to Yao and McGrady have destroyed that dream. Though the Rockets initially won seven of eight with both players back, they stumbled into the All-Star break following a 109-75 pasting by Phoenix.

So, with little to celebrate as a team, the focus is on Yao and McGrady. On Houston itself. On the NBA's ever-growing international presence. All of which seem to lead back to Yao.

He was the league's top vote-getter for the All-Star game with 2,342,738 votes. His mother and father, who live with him in the suburbs, opened Yao Restaurant and Bar in west Houston early last year.

Yao recommends "everything" on the menu but says he doesn't have any favorites.

"I would gain a lot of weight, you know?" he said.

And that, of course, would only make him a bigger spectacle.