Yao Ming 'excited' to play in Manila

MANILA, Philippines – Fans eager to watch Yao Ming, the former many-time NBA All-Star who played nine seasons for the Houston Rockets, play live may just get their wish granted.

Pan Peng, head of the Chinese Cultural Council in charge of bringing the Shanghai Sharks to Manila to do some cage clinics and play exhibition games against a PBA selection and the Smart Gilas Pilipinas II from May 3-8, said the 7-6 Yao is itching to play.

"The entire Shanghai Sharks, including Yao himself is really excited and wanting to play here in the Philippines," said Peng, whose group donated P5 million worth of brand new sports equipment to the Phl Sports Commission just today.

Peng and his group flew to the Phl to discuss with the PSC the security, itinerary and other matters of the six-day Philippine-China Friendship Games wherein Yao and the Sharks will hold clinics before playing a PBA selection on May 6 at the MOA Arena and the Gilas squad on May 7 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum in a pair of exhibition matches.

The much awaited event was initially scheduled last Dec. 12 but it was postponed due to the tension between the Phl and China that time regarding the Scarborough Shoal issue.

The event is being bankrolled by the PSC, Smart, Summit Mineral Water, Ayala Corp., Pagcor and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and possibly more big companies, according to PSC marketing head Tony Rivas.

The money that will be generated in the exhibition games that will feature Yao, an eight-time NBA All-Star who also owns the Sharks, will be used to bankroll the local athletes’ training and preparation for international events like the Southeast Asian Games.

The delegation is slated to arrive on May 3 and will hold a basketball clinic for street kids from Metro Manila at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium two days later.

Yao and the Sharks will then take on the Chot Reyes-mentored Smart Gilas Pilipinas II at the MOA Arena at 7 p.m. on May 6 and then a PBA selection team the day later at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The group is set to leave on May 8.

Interestingly, the pair of exhibition games will be held one day after the PBA All-Star Weekend in Digos, Davao del Sur from May 1-5.

While Gilas is expected to field in the same roster of the PBA All-Star, the same could not be said of the PBA selection although it has already released its All-Star lineup headed by San Mig Coffee’s James Yap and Barangay Ginebra’s Mark Caguioa.