[size=117][color=darkred]Yao Ming went back to the Meilong training base of his team, Shanghai MAXXIS Sharks this morning (April 21) to inspect and chat with the coach staff (Head coach Bob Donewald Jr. was not there; he was in Beijing in the closed door training of the china national team in preparation for the 2011 FIBA Asian Championship in September) and the few young Sharks players that were there working out.[/color]

[color=red]He also threw a press conference there to talk about his rehabilitation and his contract situation.[/color][/size]

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Cool, thanks for all the updates, Pryuen!

[size=117][color=red]During the press conference, Big Yao talked about a few things that would be of interest to us all.[/color][/size]

[quote][size=109][color=red]Summary

On his injury rehabilitation[/color]

• He said nothing new and special; he is recovering slowly but surely.


• He still could not apply force and support his full weight on his left foot.


• He still persisted in some light training routines (leg stretching and ankle rotation) now that he is back home in China; but the frequency, length and intensity of such training regiment were infrequent, short and light. And he also needed an assistant to help him along in those exercises.


• As to the next phase of his rehabilitation, he said he needs to discuss it with the doctors/trainers when he returns to Houston; it probably will be some light running.


• He joked that he had had[color=red] 26 implants and 2 iron plates in his left foot [/color]now in his most recent surgery; that had surpassed the record he set in the previous one; he said records are set to be borken, but he hoped he will not have to break his own record.

[color=red]On his contract[/color]

• He said due to a possible lockout, there are too many unknowns and assumptions (about the new Collective Bargaining Agreement), so it is too early to predict or make any conclusion.


• But he said he loves Houston; he said he will be very reluctant if he has to leave Houston: he has his family there; his baby girl was born there; so much nostalgia of the good times; so many years of hard work; so deep a love and feeling; he said it would not be easy to let go of that love and feeling about the city.

[color=red]On Rick Adelman's Leaving the Rockets[/color]

• Yao Ming started by saying he felt [color=red]very very sad [/color]about Rick Adelman's leaving.


• He said players and coaches came and go around him; he said he had had very pleasant memories and co-operation with Rick Adelman; he felt regretful that he only played for Rick Adelman for one and a half year in his 4-year tenure.


• He further praised about Rick Adelman's coaching abilities and said that Rick Adelman had been able to maximize the potential of the players and the team, and in the process, explored and developed alot of young and talented players, the like of Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks etc.


• He also had led the Rockets to a 22 winning streak, as well as getting past the second round of the playoff.


• He also sighed and regretted about his untimely injury during the 2nd playoff series in the 2008 ~ 09 season against LA Lakers; he said: "If there were no such accident (injury), maybe we would have advance further into the playoff; of course, there are no ifs."


• [color=red]Yao Ming was very affirmative of Rick Adelman's achievement with the Rockets.[/color] He said that Rick Adelman had done a great job with the team; and he thought his leaving had nothing relating to poor performance of his coaching, but just the Houston Rockets has changed its direction, and would need a new key to open the door into the future.


• Big Yao added that he was lucky to have 3 of the best coaches so far in his tenure with the Rockets. Rudy Tomjanovich was like a fatherly figure to him and treated him well; Jeff Van Gundy was like a straight and stern father that transformed him into an elite centre.


• And Rick Adelman provided him and the team alot of freedom and choices to express and play on the court.


• He said he was lucky to have Rudy Tomjanovich as his coach first, and then Jeff Van Gundy. If the sequence was to be changed, he thought he would have crashed out NBA in his rookie season if the stern and straight Jeff Van Gundy was in helm.

[color=red]On Shanghai MAXXIS Sharks[/color]

• Yao Ming said including himself, alot of people (management, coach, players, fans) were bitterly disappointed about the dismal performance of Shanghai MAXXIS Sharks of the past season, dropping from 4th placed in the previous season to 12th and missed the playoff.


• He said the poor results of the past season were due to a number of reasons, including wrong choice of expatriate players, and injuries of key players like Liu Wei and Max Zhang Zhaoxu.


• He also added Shanghai MAXXIS Sharks had been running in the red for 2 consecutive years, losing on an average 20M Renminbi per year.


• But he said that would not stop him from continuing owning and investing into the team; he said he and his team were psychologically prepared when they made up their mind to take over the management of the Shanghai team 2 years ago that it would be an initial phase of investment (and loss). But he aimed to turn his team into the icon of Shanghai basketball, a team that will be loved by every of the Shanghainese.


• As to plan for next season, he said they will probably bring back John Lucas III and Mike Harris again as both have signed a 2-year contract with the team; but it will have to depend on whether CBA will change their expatriate rules/policy, as CBA is contemplating to stop CBA teams from signing expatriate players freely on their own, but instead will centralize and do it like the NBA Draft.

[color=red]On playing for China again for Asian Championship[/color]

• He said CBA authorities had not add pressure onto him.


• He said if conditions allowed, he would still play for China in the forthcoming 2011 FIBA Asia Championship, cos he still thought playing for his country is an honor.


• The prospect of his playing again for China in the forthcoming 2011 FIBA Asia Championship all depends on 3 premises: the rehabilitation of his injured left foot; the NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement, and his body conditions. He said he does not want to drag the hind leg of the national team, if he could not get back to competitive shape and conditions in time and contribute to the national team.

[color=red]On his baby daughter[/color]

• For the first time in the public, he disclosed the Chinese name of his daughter, Amy: [color=red]Yao Qin Lei 姚沁蕾.[/color]


• He said he was not the one that chose the Chinese name for Amy. But he did not disclose who chose the name for her.


• He said the reason he revealed the Chinese name of Amy is that he does not like those crazy guessing/speculations over the Internet.


• He said little Amy has yet to talk; and he and Ye Li used Shanghainese to talk to little Amy at home.


• He joked that when Amy smiles, the father is always with her; when she cries, the father will just esxape, and the mother comes in.


• Amy will be 1 years old next month; so he plans to take Amy back to Shanghai and hold dinners/birthday party for her for his family/relatives/freinds.


• On Amy's US citizenship, he said he will let Amy makes her own choice (of whether to resume her Chinese nationality or retain her US citizenship) when she becomes 18.

[color=red]On the CBA Final currently in process[/color]

• He predicted Guangdong Dongguan Bank Hongyuan Tigers will be the eventual champion in Game 6, cos he thought being a 6th time champion, the Guangdong team had better experience.


• But he said (when they met in Beijing) Bob Donewald Jr. thought the CBA Final series will go all the way to Game 7 before the eventual champion will be decided.

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[size=117][color=red]MORE photos of Yao Ming at the Meilong training base of the Shanghai MAXXIS Sharks yesterday.[/color][/size]

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[size=150][color=red]LOL !!!! [/color][/size]

[size=117][color=red]Yao Ming will soon become a great public speaker.[/color]

[color=darkred]First, on April 27, as one of the Representatives of the National Image of China, he was invited to attend a cultural forum organized by Shanghai Jiefang Daily, together with 2 other representatives, Yang Liwei (China's first astronaut) and Fan Bingbing (a famous Chinese actress) to do a speech with the theme of "Our Common National Image".

Yao Ming's speech focused on what he saw and experienced in USA, , the stark difference between the US and Chinese sports and education systems, and his perception of the difference between Chinese and US culture. He urged his compatriots to try to learn about the good things about US culture, and resolve misunderstanding through active communications, as well as try to live more "civilized", adhering to social and moral norms.[/color]

[color=red]Photos of Yao Ming at that forum.[/color][/size]

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[color=darkred]And today (April 29), Yao Ming was invited as the keynote speaker at another forum/seminar organized by the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau to talk about[/color] [color=red]what he thinks China should do to its sports, and in particular, basketball systems.[/color]

[color=darkred]The audience included officials from the Shanghai Municipal Sports Bureau, and team managers/coaches of secondary schools and universities in Shanghai. Shanghai Vice Mayor Zhao Wen in charge of sports was also there.[/color]

[color=red]In his speech, Yao Ming focused on making comparison of the basketball systems of USA and China. He said the biggest flaw of China sports (and basketball) systems is that in USA, sports is a major component of the education systems, while in China, the sports systems is completely detached and independent from the education systems.[/color]

[color=darkred]He urged China not to be in the rush to look for the next Yao Ming, Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian or Liu Wei, but instead should try to popularize the sports from the grassroots and into the primary schools. As more and more children and youngsters become interested and love the sports of basketball, the quality of players will improve, and naturally the next Yao Mings, Wang Zhizhis, Yi Jianlians and Liu Weis will surface.

Yao Ming proposed that minor and major school leagues should be formed at the primary school, secondary school and university level, so as to expand th base and attract the interest and love of the sports to the youngsters.[/color]

[color=red]Yao Ming also talked about the intrinsic value of sports; he stressed that sports is not just about getting results or winning gold medals; sports should be a vital and essential part of the education system that aimed to develop an all-round person.

Photos of Yao Ming during the forum/seminar.[/color][/size]

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Hi Pryuen,

Are the videos of these speeches available online somewhere?

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[color=red]Yao Ming is now back into USA.

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He should be in San Francisco right now.[/color]

[color=darkred]He will be attending and be honored for his work in reducing the consumption of shark fin soup in China during the first annual WildAid Charity Gala which will be held May 5 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom on the 15th floor of the Merchant Exchange Building, 465 California Street, San Francisco.

http://www.looktothestars.org/news/5722 ... arity-gala[/color][/size]

[size=117][color=darkred]
Yao Ming was seen here sitting near an inflatable shark in the Bay Area of San Francisco during a break from filming yet another public service announcement (together with a group of school children from the Bay Area) for WildAid about banning shark fin soup in Chinatown in California on May 5, 2011. [/color][/size]

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[size=117][color=darkred]Yao Ming was a special guest yesterday morning (May 19 Thursday) at the Hunters Creek Elementary School in West Houston. He listened to and answered questions raised by first graders, and also played game with them.[/color]

[color=red]Here are photos taken during his visit there. [/color][/size]

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