Garcia says Yao misunderstood

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Richie Garcia said yesterday former NBA star Yao Ming shied away from fans during his recent Manila visit because of a personal concern and spoke in Chinese to media so he could be understood by the large travelling party that accompanied him from Shanghai.

Garcia, who hosted the Shanghai delegation’s goodwill tour, confirmed that he spoke with Yao in English and had no difficulty relating to the 7-6 giant who was good-natured in private. Even Vice President Jejomar Binay spoke with Yao in English during the star’s courtesy call at the Coconut Palace last Monday. Binay was dwarfed by the towering Yao who is two feet and four inches taller.

“I think Yao chose to speak to media in Chinese in deference to the delegation that came with him from Shanghai as he wanted to make sure he was understood by his companions,” said Garcia, noting that 14 delegates in the travelling party of 36 were from the Chinese press. “We should also understand Yao and respect his privacy. He’s conscious of being portrayed as a freak. Someone tried to take a photograph of him eating and his knees were raised high because he was too tall for his seat on the table. So the security waved off the photographer.”

Yao, 32, was criticized by some quarters in local media for refusing to accommodate fans begging for his autograph or a photo op. He sat near the bench of the Shanghai Sharks during the game against Gilas Pilipinas at the SM MOA Arena last Monday and when TV courtside reporter Sel Guevara approached him for an interview, she was pointed to an interpreter. If Yao, a three-time Olympian and three-time FIBA-Asia Championships MVP, came for a goodwill purpose, he could’ve done a lot more to win the adulation of an adoring, basketball-loving Filipino public.

But Garcia said Yao’s attitude was misunderstood. “He’s really a nice guy,” said Garcia. “We played nine holes at Manila Golf. I’m told he gets to play golf only five times a year. But he had a 58-inch driver which is really long, considering mine is only 46 inches. On the par-four first hole, Yao had about 20 strokes. He talked about his winery in Napa Valley. His parents live in Houston but he lives in Shanghai with his wife (6-3 Ye Li) and their 3-year-old daughter (Yao Qinlei).”

Yao’s parents are retired basketball players. His father Yao Zhiyuan is 6-10 and mother Fang Fengdi 6-2. “So imposing was their size that ever since childhood, the two had been known simply as Da Yao and Da Fang – Big Yao and Big Fang,” wrote Brook Larmer in the book “Operation Yao Ming.” Yao was born weighing more than 11.2 pounds and measuring 23 inches long. His first name Ming means “bright” and stands for the Chinese character that unifies the sun and moon. Yao shot up to 5-7 when he was in third grade. He zoomed to 6-2 in sixth grade and at 17, standing 6-10, was signed by the Shanghai Sharks. Yao played five years with the Sharks then joined the Houston Rockets in the NBA in 2002-03. He became a fan favorite in Houston, known for his nice-guy attitude and easy smile. Yao even appeared with Verne (Mini Me) Troyer in an Apple Computer ad and in a Visa credit card commercial.

With the Sharks, Yao earned $20,000 annually. But in his first four-year contract with the Rockets, he bankrolled $18 Million, five percent reportedly donated to the Chinese Basketball Association. Yao played in eight NBA seasons and his total earnings were estimated to be $93.5 Million. It was once mentioned that he contributed $8 Million to the Shanghai Sports Ministry out of his NBA wages. Injuries forced Yao to end his pro career prematurely at the end of the 2010-11 season where he only played in five games at a salary of $17.7 Million. He suffered a third fracture of his left foot and ankle problems compounded his situation, leading to his early retirement.

It was in 2003 when Yao began to show signs of resisting public appearances. During a China tour, he refused to attend a sponsor’s dinner. Larmer said he was “being carted around like a circus elephant to please the tour’s sponsors…he endured endless banquets and photo opts with obsequious businessmen, mob encounters with the provincial media and the constant crush of star-struck fans who didn’t let him sleep or eat in peace…at one provincial airport, fans even chased him into the bathroom with video cameras (and) when a reporter later asked him where he most wanted to go, Yao responded: ‘the moon, nobody is there.’”

In Shanghai, Yao is taking up a private course at the Antai College of Economics and Management of the Jiao Tong University. Two years ago, he set up Yao Family Wines in Napa Valley. He considers Houston his second home and owns a restaurant-bar at 9755 Westheimer. Yao is involved in several socio-civic advocacies, including wildlife conservation, HIV/AIDS prevention, scholarships for the poor and mentally-challenged and the construction of classrooms in underprivileged communities. He is also against taking shark’s fan soup, a Chinese delicacy, to preserve the water specie.