Hakeem “the Dream” is back in Houston this week teaching some NBA big men some of his moves. He lives in Jordan now, but is enjoying sharing his wealth of experience with guys like Ndudi Ebi (from Houston’s Westbury Christian Academy), Desagana Diop, D.J. Mbenga, Ike Diogu, Luol Deng (not really a big man), Mamadou N’diaye, and the Nigerian national team.

Missing on the list is Yao Ming, who is in China preparing for the World Championships in Tokyo later this week. Even though Yao’s competition is getting better through Olajuwon’s camp, Hakeem would love to work with Yao next year. Click here for the entire story.

Here’s what Hakeem had to say about Yao on Thursday:

“He is mobile enough to be a force. He runs the floor very well. He has a soft jump shot, good skills. For him, it is just the concept, the job description, that he must learn. That lane, it belongs to him. Everybody has to go through you. You reject everything that comes in there. It is your house.

“Maybe you say it is cultural. I don’t know. But he can change. He can be taught. Let him see how it’s done. I know he has obligations this year (in China) with the world tournament. But next year, maybe he is free. I plan to be here. Hopefully, with a bigger camp. I would like to work with him.”

We have lots of goodies again from Raymond today.

Just click here to see a page with more photos of Yao having a good time from yesterday’s online chat referenced in the post directly below. After you click, you can scroll down and see Associated Press and Reuters articles about Yao saying say he’s 80% recovered from his foot surgery (not really big news since that was in Raymond’s translation yesterday — good job Raymond). But there are some additional tidbits in those articles about the status of Wang ZhiZhi and recent losses for the Chinese national team.

Then keep scrolling and you’ll see photos of Yao at a “Save the Shark” campaign in his capacity as “Global Ambassador for Wild Aid.” There’s also an article where he vows to give up eating shark fin soup, and states, “As we progress as a nation and society becomes more driven by money and the increased desire to quench our taste buds, we should take a step back and reflect.” Good job, Yao. I agree with you.

Also on that page is an article referring to Yao’s love life. Man, from a media perspective, Yao has been one busy dude the past couple of days.

Yao receives a special jersey from former Chinese gymnast Sang Lan in a press conference on Tuesday. Click here for more photos from the press conference and online chat.

Yao received an oversized jersey Tuesday at a press conference from former Chinese gymnast Sang Lan, who was paralyzed in a practice accident in the 1998 Goodwill Games in the United States. The jersey had special blessings from fans wishing Yao well in his foot surgery recovery, and to obtain good results in the World Championships later this month.

Afterwards, Yao took part in a press conference and online chat hosted by Sina.com, McDonald’s, and askme.com.cn as part of a monthly series of chats with Asian stars called “Passion for Life” that provides consumer-focused education and to encourage active, balanced lifestyles. But these chats can also be considered a way for McDonald’s to ward off potential concerns about the nutritional content of fast food in China. For more information on the program, Ad Age China has an interesting article about it. Click here to read the story.

Below is a transcription from our Raymond in China of some of the topics raised in the press conference and subsequently, the online chat:

Reporter (from Guangming Daily): Mr. Yao Ming, you talked about a balanced diet a short while ago. Do you eat McDonalds? How many times a month? Do you think McDonald’s can be helpful to supplement your energy and strength?

Yao Ming: I felt that you can find lots and lots of happy moments and rewards in basketball. Not merely winning games, but also in training. It just motivates and spurns me on for more and more.

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