They like things big down in Texas. But it's fair to say the Lone Star State has never fixed its eyes on anything quite as massive as the 22-year-old Chinese basketballer Yao Ming. Some might say it's merely the man's size that has caused all the fuss. He stands at 2.26 metres (seven-foot-five on the old scale) in his size-18 shoes and he weighs 134kg. That's pretty big, even in the land of the giants: North America's National Basketball Association. But there's more to it than that. This young man from Shanghai has captured the hearts and minds of Texans - and now the spell is being cast wherever he goes.
IT IS MIDDAY AT DOWNTOWN Houston's Compaq Centre, the home of the Rockets basketball team, and emotions are running high. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich, the man who led the Rockets to NBA titles in 1994 and 1995, the man who a week previously was diagnosed with bladder cancer, has just announced he will be taking an indefinite leave of absence as he fights the disease. It is a body blow to a Rockets team back in town from an exhaustive road trip that saw them play five teams in five cities in seven nights. The veteran Tomjanovich is the heart and soul of the Rockets and it was widely thought his leadership would be vital in helping decide during the NBA season's final weeks whether or not the team makes the end-of-season play-offs.
The press pack sits back to reflect for a moment on Tomjanovich's decision. No one seems to know what to say. En masse, the pack moves out on to centre court to await the Rockets players' arrival for practice. They come out in dribs and drabs, grabbing basketballs as they hit the court, throwing up shots and chatting casually among themselves.
Assistant coach Larry Smith is approached for comment. His hands shake slightly as he talks, justifiably nervous, having just taken the reins of a multi-million-dollar NBA team. Then it's the turn of the Rockets' star guard, Steve Francis, who cuts a far cooler figure. But there's a sense the press is itching to see someone else, a mood heightened by the fact there is a large Chinese contingent today. Everyone keeps looking over their shoulders, eyeing the players' entrance.
And there he is; looming, literally, head and shoulders above everyone else. Yao Ming, the second-tallest player in the NBA after the Dallas Mavericks' Shawn Bradley (2.28 metres), ambles on to the court, head tilted down, glancing around almost sheepishly. Rockets officials move instantly to his side and usher him over to the players' bench, motioning to the press pack to follow.
The media circus has been swirling around Yao all season and both he and the Rockets have been careful not to over-extend themselves when it comes to requests for interviews or photo shoots. He is happy to do pre- and post-game interviews but not much more. His attitude seems to be that it is part of the job, something that - whether he likes it or not - has to be done. Insights into his life are rare and he likes to focus interest on the game. That's not to say he doesn't let his personality sneak out in flashes; there are glimpses, for instance, of a wicked sense of humour. When asked a few weeks earlier if he had any favourite English words, Yao replied that he did: 'Last question.'
Yao's 29-year-old interpreter, American Colin Pine, takes his place next to the player on the bench and Yao nods for the questions to begin. You can't help but feel dwarfed; he is seated low, surrounded, but can still look everyone in the eyes. This is one enormous human being.
