Teenagers from the Nike Basketball League were thrilled to meet their sports idol - air-walking superstar Michael Jordan - who was on a 24-hour stopover in Hong Kong last week. 'I was so excited that I kind of went into a trance,' said So Yi-chun, the winner of a slam dunk contest at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday. 'I was nervous but it's great to meet him because he has been my idol since I first watched the NBA in 1997,' said Yi-chun, whose spectacular reverse dunk earned a perfect-10 score from Jordan who was judging the competition. Yi-chun, 17, won a number 23 shirt signed by Jordan, and an MP3 player. More than 2,000 young fans attended the event. 'When he presented me with the shirt, I asked him if I could do that special handshake he used to do with Scottie Pippen when they played for the Bulls. It was cool,' added Yi-chun, a Form Five student at Jockey Club Ti-I College. Jordan, on a whistle-stop tour of the region, was in Hong Kong to promote his brand of basketball shoes. He arrived from Beijing on Thursday evening, and stayed overnight at the Peninsula Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui. He left for Taiwan on Friday afternoon. 'I'm happy to be here and the fans have been very nice,' said Jordan, 40. 'We had the opportunity to see Beijing for the past couple of days and then come to Hong Kong. It's a big difference. I love it. I wish I could spend more time here. One day doesn't give you enough time to judge the city. I'm looking forward to coming back.' Jordan's advice to his fans was to express themselves through the game they love. 'Enjoy the game and do what comes naturally to express yourself no matter if it's slam dunk or shooting a jump shot, a three-pointer, defence, or something fast where you express who you really are,' he added. 'Some kids won't be able to dunk so they have to express themselves in another way and I wish them the best. I think that they should enjoy the game.'
