bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Jonathan White

NBA All-Star and Tokyo 2020 Team USA Olympic hopeful Christian Wood kept up his record start to life at the Houston Rockets with a game high 27 points in a 126-112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
The centre, who joined the Rockets in the summer, had gone into his 14th game with Houston keeping pace with legendary 12-time All-Star Hakeem Olajuwon.
Wood had already joined Olajuwon as the only player to have averaged up at least 20 points and 10 rebounds in his first 13 games of a Rockets season in the team’s win over the Portland Trail Blazers last week, a record Yao Ming never matched.
The former UNLV Rebel, who arrived in Houston from the Detroit Pistons, had matched the Chinese superstar’s best start to a season with a sixth 20-point, 10-rebound performance in his first 10 games earlier this month. ﻿

Christian Wood (@Chriswood_5) asked if he thinks this is an All-Star year for him: “I do. I believe I’ve been playing at a high level. I believe I’m one of the best bigs in the West. I think I deserve a vote.” #Rockets pic.twitter.com/CHe6RbOqDZ
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) January 29, 2021

Now Wood has surpassed Yao and is keeping pace with two-time NBA winner Olajuwon’s record breaking season.
“The Dream” did that in the 1994-95 season when the NBA champion Rockets went back to back with Olajuwon ending the season as the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player as the Rockets swept the Orlando Magic 4-0.
Wood matches Yao Ming record as Rockets begin life without Harden
Olajuwon ended the 1994-95 regular season with averages of 27.8 points per game and 10.6 rebounds per game. Wood is averaging 23.6 points and 10.7 rebounds per game this season.
The dream start to a season is something that not even Yao Ming managed while at the Rockets.
While Yao did average 20 points and 10 rebounds over a season twice – in 2005-06 and 2007-08 –he was a notoriously slow starter.

Christian Wood going to work #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/hLF0eqn3gk
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) January 31, 2021

Yao played 486 regular season games for the Rockets over eight seasons in the NBA and was an eight-time All-Star.
Wood, who was once signed to the CBA’s Fujian Sturgeons but left without playing a game, thinks he should be an All-Star for the first time this season.
“I do,” Wood responded when asked by reporters after beating the Blazers. “I believe I’ve been playing at a high level. I believe I’m one of the best bigs in the West. I think I deserve a vote.”
When the Rockets ruled China: Yao Ming’s NBA debut season
Wood also spoke about his possible inclusion in Team USA for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics set to start in July.
“Coming from where I come from, this is huge,” Wood said of the possibility.
“This is like an All-Star Game, for me. I’m appreciative of the opportunity. It would mean the world to me.”

Christian Wood last night:

22 PTS
12 REB
8-12 FG
5-6 FT

Wood is averaging 23.4 PPG and 10.8 RPG this season. The last @HoustonRockets player to match or exceed both of those figures through their first 13 games of a season was Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994-95. pic.twitter.com/O1DHKz3kMb
— Justin Kubatko (@jkubatko) January 29, 2021

Wood’s strong start to life at Houston has coincided with the Rockets returning to Chinese streaming site Tencent earlier this month, more than a year after former GM Daryl Morey’s tweet supporting Hong Kong protesters.
Despite the absence from screens, the Rockets remained one of the most popular teams with Chinese basketball fans.


Meet Coco Jones, the R&B singer who performed at the Super Bowl pregame show

Chinese players often lack ‘survival instinct’ needed to thrive in NBA, Yao Ming says

Chinese basketball prospect Yang Hansen makes NBA Rising Stars team at All-Star Weekend

LeBron James snubbed as an NBA All-Star Game starter for first time in 21 years

NBA (National Basketball Association)

Christian Wood betters Yao Ming with Houston Rockets start

Houston Rockets centre Christian Wood shoots while defended by New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram. Photo: USA Today Sports

NBA: Christian Wood matches Yao Ming record as Houston Rockets begin life without James Harden

Christian Wood of the Houston Rockets blocks a shot from DeMar DeRozan of the San Antonio Spurs. Photo: AFP

Houston Rockets Yao Ming of China (C) goes up to shoot past Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant (L) and Pau Gasol of Spain during their NBA game in Los Angeles, California, October 26, 2010. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson (UNITED STATES - Tags: SPORT BASKETBALL)

NBA: When China fell in love with Yao Ming’s Houston Rockets

Houston Rockets star Yao Ming making his presence felt during an NBA game in 2006. Photo: Reuters

Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Shaquille O'Neal, front left, helps fellow inductee Yao Ming, right, with his jacket during a news conference at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Thursday, Sept. 8, 2016, in Springfield, Mass. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

FILE - In this Oct. 17, 2013, file photo, Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, top row center right, former NBA Houston Rockets basketball player Yao Ming, top row center left, and NBA Commissioner David Stern, bottom left pose with children during the NBA Cares Special Olympics Basketball Clinic ahead of a 2013-2014 NBA preseason game against the Golden State Warriors in Shanghai, China. Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tried Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 to defuse the rapidly growing fallout over his deleted tweet that showed support for Hong Kong anti-government protesters, saying he did not intend to offend any of the team's Chinese fans or sponsors. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, FIle)

Chinese center Yao Ming talks to the media during a court-side interview at the Rockets practice facility in Houston October 21, 2002 in Houston. Ming, who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Chinese National Team, was the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft and the first-ever international first round pick in NBA history. REUTERS/Richard Carson

Retired Houston Rockets center Yao Ming speaks during his jersey number retirement ceremony at halftime of an NBA basketball game between the Rockets and the Chicago Bulls, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

Retired Houston Rockets center Yao Ming speaks to the media before an NBA basketball game between the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls, Friday, Feb. 3, 2017, in Houston. Ming's jersey number will be retired during a halftime ceremony Friday night. (AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith)

No NBA stars but Yao Ming charity game cheers Wuhan

Yao Ming, chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association, watches the first game of the 2019-20 CBA Finals between Guangdong Southern Tigers and Liaoning Flying Leopards in August. Photo: Xinhua

Sport

Basketball


Centre averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds over 14 games to match Hakeem Olajuwon’s 1994-95 championship winning season
First-time All-Star hopeful is also a contender for Team USA at Tokyo 2020 – ‘It would mean the world to me’



Houston centre averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds over 14 games to match Hakeem Olajuwon’s start to the 1994-95 championship winning season.


Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games