We talked about it last week, so it’s not much new, but Yao made a statement on Tuesday that he regrets he will miss the first few days of Rockets training camp because of his involvement in the Opening Ceremonies of the Special Olympics in China.

Yao said, “I expect to be back with the team around October 3. I am very sorry that I will not be able to attend the start of training because of work related to the event in Shanghai.”

Yao’s first practice with the team in Austin will probably occur on Wednesday, October 4th, and the estimated amount of fines he will have to pay will be around $30,000.

For the complete story, click here.

Yao Ming and the Chinese beat the Brisbane Bullets for the second game in a row by a wide margin Monday night, this time 82-62 in Zhuhai.

Both Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian didn’t have to play in the fourth quarter because of the blowout win. Both played 23 minutes and had similar stats: Yao had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Yi had 18 points and 7 rebounds.

Click here for more photos and details from the big win.

After the victory, Yao took a red-eye flight from Zhuhai to Beijing to participate the next morning in the launch of a new Reebok campaign geared toward supporting Yao in his attempt to bring glory to the Chinese basketball team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The campaign is titled “Fuel Yao’s Unlimited Power,” which sounds more like a Gatorade ad than a sportswear company campaign. But check out the duds that Yao wore in a photo session associated with the campaign…

To see more photos of Yao at the Reebok announcement and in his new Reebok clothes, click here. It’s pretty cool stuff.

Thanks always to Raymond for the new and pics.