Yao Ming comes home
15 October 2004
Chinese basketball giant Yao Ming returned to home ground, kicking off an exhibition tour by his NBA team the Houston Rockets in Shanghai. The match was part of a marketing push by the American basketball league aimed at boosting Chinese interest in the sport in general and the NBA in particular. Tickets for the tour went on sale several weeks ago and sold out within hours. Yao's first match saw the Rockets snatch an 88-86 win over the Sacramento Kings. The tour has attracted several big name sponsors, including McDonalds Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Kodak, Reebok and Disney.