Yao Ming meets Bill Russell. (Photo by Jerry Lee)

Jerry Lee, chairman of Bellevue-based architecture firm MulvannyG2 Architecture; former SuperSonic Fred Brown; Eric Booker, Director of Player Development and Community Relations at Snoqualmie Casino; and basketball hall of famer Bill Russell attended the NBA preseason games held in Shanghai, China last week, on Oct. 11 and 16. China’s economic development was apparent, as both games, featuring the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers, sold out.  Apart from Yao Ming, Bill Russell received the most applause when his attendance was announced. During the games, Yao Ming met with Bill Russell to pay his respects. (end)

Jeremy Lin and Yao Ming

By Assunta Ng

Since the Sonics moved to Oklahoma, I lost interest in basketball. Then, Lin-fever hit me. Last Sunday morning, I finally had a chance to watch him for the first time. Lin and the Knicks played against the Dallas Mavericks at Madison Square Garden in New York. What an exciting game! The Knicks won.

Lin-sanity, Lin-finity, and Lin-sation are not exaggerations. He was fun and exciting to watch. His moves are sophisticated, clever, and speedy.

Lin reminds me of Yao Ming, although Lin was made in America and Yao in China. I have seen Yao play for the Rockets at Key Arena. Yao’s skills are far less superior than Lin’s. Lin, who is 6′ 3″, runs fast and jumps high. Yao, who is 7′ 6″, dominated his opponents due merely to his size. Yao had a temper and no grace. When his team lost in Seattle, he refused to come out and greet his fans. He simply stormed into the bus and left. Read the full story

By Chris Duncan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Yao Ming

HOUSTON, Texas (AP) — Houston Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming is retiring after nine NBA seasons, according to a person with direct knowledge of his decision.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because Yao has not announced his plans. Yao has scheduled a July 20 news conference in Shanghai to talk about his future.

Yahoo! Sports first reported that Yao is retiring. The person says neither Yao nor his representatives have informed the league office of Yao’s decision, and the league says Yao has not filed paperwork that would make his decision final. Read the full story

Many National Basketball Association (NBA) fans were stunned when news came down that Houston Rockets Center Yao Ming would retire from basketball. Although he spent just eight seasons in the NBA, his legacy will extend much farther than his massive wingspan and last longer than his time playing basketball. Although Yao may not have had as long of a career as most NBA Hall of Famers, his impact on the game of basketball has been great. Read the full story

By Ninette Cheng
Northwest Asian Weekly

Fall is shaping up to be a season of new beginnings for Asian American celebrities, and personally, I am very excited for them. This month, Yao Ming announced his return to basketball, while Tiger Woods announced his, well, single status. Ziyi Zhang plans to star in a Mulan remake. Finally, I give an update on Asians on the big and small screen. Read the full story