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November 3, 2004

Houston's Great Wall of China

Gordon Marino, a philosophy professor at St. Olaf College, writes this Opinion Journal article on the Houston Rockets' center Yao Ming. It's an interesting look at Yao, in which Mr. Marino observes:

I asked Yao to compare his life in China with the one he leads in the U.S. He observed: "In China everything was taken care of for me, and every day was planned out. Here I am more on my own." Though he does not warm to the task of talking about his inner life, Yao acknowledges that his two years in the NBA "have made me more open about my emotions both on and off of the court." The language difficulties notwithstanding, Yao has gelled well with his American teammates; nevertheless, the basketball version of the Great Wall of China has a shy streak that cannot make it easy for him to be one of the most famous people on the planet. According to his revealing memoir, Yao has often found succor in the invisible world of cyberspace. And true to his book's word, Yao ended our conversation with a polite handshake and a fast break for the computer.

Under extraordinary pressures ever since he arrived in Houston to begin his NBA career, Yao has acted in an exemplary and classy manner. His parents have done a wonderful job in raising him and should be extremely proud of the way in which Yao has handled the adjustment to the American and NBA lifestyle.

Posted by Tom at November 3, 2004 6:51 AM |

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