Houston Rockets center Yao Ming will return home next week when the club travels to China for a pair of exhibition games against the Sacramento Kings. The two sides are scheduled to arrive Tuesday, with contests set for 14 October in Shanghai and 17 October in Beijing.
The trip is the first time any American professional sports league has played on Chinese soil, and the first visit by an NBA club since a Washington squad faced China's national team in 1979.
Yao, a 2.26-meter center, was in New York promoting a new autobiography when he spoke about the upcoming trip. He said "the days leading up to the games will be crazy" and described the particular pressure of being China's first athlete to reach stardom in a global league. He also plans to visit the primary school he attended as a child.
Houston's roster is bolstered this season by Tracy McGrady, who topped the NBA in scoring in each of the past two years. Sacramento features Serbian forward Peja Stojakovic alongside Chris Webber.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in October 2004, in its own words.