Former NBA star Derrick Rose could play for Yao Ming foundation in China charity match
The All-Star and World Cup winner visits Hong Kong for basketball clinic after trip to mainland China
Former NBA star Derrick Rose said during a trip to Hong Kong on Wednesday that he expected to play for Yao Ming’s foundation in a charity game in mainland China this August.
Rose was in the city for a clinic session with GOAT Lab – an elite basketball training centre for all age ranges – in Tsim Sha Tsui, after visiting Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu and Shanghai, where he met former Houston Rockets centre Yao.
“He’s trying to get me to play,” Rose said. “It’s not confirmed yet, but [I will] if he wants – it’s whatever Yao wants.
Rose, a chess fanatic, added: “He’s also helping me [link up with people] to do a tournament in Shenzhen, so we’re going to have a chess tournament coming very soon.”
This year’s Yao Foundation charity match is expected to be held in Hangzhou, following the previous one held in Hong Kong last August.
Selected first overall by the Chicago Bulls, his hometown team, in the 2008 NBA Draft, Rose spent his first seven league seasons with the Bulls, winning the Rookie of the Year award in 2009 before being named an All-Star the next three seasons.