October 20, 2002, U.S. time, Houston George Brown. Bush Island Airport. A huge crowd of hundreds of reporters and fans waited for the arrival of Yao Ming, the NBA's first foreign draft pick, a young center from China.

Accompanied by his parents, Yao Ming suppressed the excitement in his heart and slowly walked out of the security channel. Although I had been prepared, I was also shocked by the situation in front of me. Yao Ming, who was surrounded by all kinds of "long guns and short cannons", enthusiastically signed autographs for the fans who greeted him one by one.

The Houston Rockets fielded their decorated coach Rudy. Tomjanovich held a brief press conference for Yao Ming, who had just arrived in Houston.

"I solemnly recommend Yao Ming from China to the citizens of Houston." Tomjanovich, whose voice was slightly hoarse, made a brief start at the press conference and left the entire venue to Yao Ming, who had just turned 22.

"I know it's been a long time for you, and I don't think I'm going to make everyone wait so long, I'm going to make everyone feel like it's worth the wait." Yao Ming smiled and said confidently.

It seemed that the reporters at the scene were also infected by the calm and self-confidence shown by this young man from the East, and the whole venue applauded......

In the basketball training hall of Timotai High School, Sun Yi, who had just completed a set of endurance training, gasped for breath, and his black hair was as if it had been drenched in water. Behind him, Coach Vane tied a belt around his waist, and behind the belt was a thick rubber band.

Coach Wayne, who trained Sun Yi for endurance and strength, was particularly pleased with Sun Yi's progress over the past month. "Sun, if the training of the waiting meeting can satisfy me, I will consider letting you participate in the team competition for a while." Coach Wayne said to Sun Yi with a smile.

The coach's words lifted Sun Yi's spirits. Since joining the junior varsity team, Sun Yi has been accompanied by Coach Wayne every day. Several requests to the coach to arrange for him to play were rejected without hesitation. Doing boring physical training on the sidelines every day, looking at his teammates on the field, Sun Yi didn't mention the itch in his heart.

Sun Yi, who had momentum, carried a basketball in each hand and struggled to move forward. Coach Venn, who was on the other end of the rubber band, shouted loudly while looking at the stopwatch in his hand: "Hurry up! Hurry up! Don't be like a poor bug. ”

After completing three sets of training, with the permission of Coach Venn. Sun Yi, who appeared on the stage, was like a wild horse on the court, and repeatedly used his increasingly perverted physical fitness to hit the basket.

After receiving Thomas's pass, Sun Yi accelerated after two consecutive cross-steps, broke through the outside defense and entered the three-second zone, facing the opponent's players who came over to make up for it. Dodging the opponent's arm in the air, a lever, the waist exerted force again, the whole body was forced to rise again, and a two-handed clasp ended the attack.

Thomas, like Sun Yi, was selected for the junior school team as a freshman in high school, and looked at Sun Yi's wonderful dunk just now, and was envious in his heart, and made up his mind to work harder to improve himself in the future. He vaguely felt that in the future, this Chinese boy would definitely soar into the sky, and he didn't want to miss this opportunity to participate.

A few days ago, Sun Yi was on the side of Coach Snyder's sports rehabilitation center for the second time. According to the results of the test, Snyder made some adjustments to his recipe, and since Sun Yi is now 1.85 meters tall and weighs only 68 kilograms, he deliberately increased the proportion of beef in the recipe.

After two months of adjustment, Sun Yi's muscle ability has improved somewhat, and Coach Wayne's special training has made him now develop in the right direction in all aspects of his physical indicators.

Snyder was very satisfied with this result, and he believed that after careful test results, the development direction of Sun Yi's muscle tissue could be effectively controlled, so as to improve physical function and avoid the risk of injury.

30 October 2002, Consecco Arena, Indianapolis. Due to the existence of the first foreign champion Yao Ming, the NBA 02-03 season, the Indiana Pacers sat in the game against the Houston Rockets and broadcast it live in the United States.

On this day in China, people are throwing away their jobs and waiting in front of the TV, looking forward to the NBA debut of the "Little Giant".

Due to his participation in the World Championships and the Busan Asian Games with the Chinese team, Yao Ming simply did not have time to participate in the pre-season training of the Rockets. After less than ten days of training with the team, head coach Tomjanovic did not arrange for Yao Ming to start.

The Rockets, led by team boss Francis and "Old Cat" Mobley, trailed by two points in the first quarter at 22-24. Watching his teammates get off the court, Yao Ming took the towel and handed it to Boss Fu with a smile, although he was not very proficient in speaking, but this did not affect the communication between Yao Ming and his teammates. Obviously, Francis also really likes this big rookie champion with a lot of eyesight.

Finally, Rockets head coach Tomjanovic sent Chinese champion Yao Ming on the court in the second quarter, and before going on the court, he deliberately asked the translator to tell Yao Ming, "Relax and do what you think you should do." ”

All the Chinese waiting in front of the TV were proud and expectant to see Yao Ming's appearance. And Yao Ming also realized his dream for many years at this moment - to set foot on the NBA arena.

But the reality is cruel again, due to missing the team's pre-season training and the discomfort of such high-intensity play. In the 7 minutes and 27 seconds that Yao Ming played in the second quarter, he only contributed one backcourt rebound, plus one turnover and one foul.

In the end, the Houston Rockets lost 82-91 to the Indiana Pacers on the road. Yao Ming played 11 minutes and scored 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 turnovers and 3 fouls.

After the game, in the live broadcast hall of TNT TV, since the draft meeting, Barkley, who has always been not optimistic about Yao Ming, has tried his best to sneer at Yao Ming.

Although Yao Ming's performance did not live up to expectations, according to post-game statistics, the game was watched by 340 million people in China, a result that shocked the American media, while NBA commissioner David Stern smiled from ear to ear.

In the players' tunnel of the stadium, Yao Ming, who looked sullen, walked to the team bus accompanied by an interpreter. "Hey, big man. Relax, it's not just a game. Francis, the boss of the team, hurried in with a bunch of endless interviews.

As a point guard, Francis has a strong scoring ability, but he is obviously still far from the top point guards in the league when it comes to organizing offense. Although Yao Ming did not play well in today's game for various reasons, it also has a lot to do with the team's point guard Francis.

Once he is happy on the field, Boss Fu basically has fun and plays. It can often be seen that Yao Ming has just entered the opponent's interior line, and with a wave shot, he didn't even have a chance to grab the rebounding position, and he had to turn around and run back. This kind of back-and-forth running is not an easy task for a big man of 2.29 meters.

Faced with the comfort of the team boss, the smart Yao Ming immediately adjusted his emotions. "Steve, I'll try to get up to speed with the team as soon as possible, I promise." Looking at this big man with a sincere face, Francis secretly decided, I have covered this little brother.

It's not easy to settle into the team quickly and adapt to the pace of the NBA game. On November 1, away against the Denver Nuggets, Yao Ming played 12 minutes and only scored 2 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist. The next day, he played at home against the Toronto Raptors, with 8 points and 4 boards. On November 5, Yao Ming, who continued to sit at home to meet the challenge of the Seattle SuperSonics, played 15 minutes, and only scored 0 points and 3 rebounds.

Before the Rockets' game against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 9, Barkley, who was on the TNT TV studio, said to his partner Kenny Rossley. Smith bet, "As long as Yao Ming can score 19 points in any game this year, I'll kiss your ass in public." ”

For a time, Barkley's bet was almost unknown in the United States. Even the innocent Comrade Yao Ming learned the embarrassing news before the game. It may be that Barkley's poisonous tongue attribute is too strong, in this game, Yao Ming only played 7 minutes and got 3 points and 2 rebounds.

Sun Yi looked at the big man who was a little lonely on TV, and secretly cheered for this big brother who was eight years older than him. Every time the Rockets play, Sun Yi would stay in front of the TV with his parents to cheer for Yao Ming.

In fact, Yao Ming's influence has long surpassed basketball. Every Chinese American and even many Asians are proud of this big guy because he is the only yellow-skinned champion in NBA history.

After watching the competition, Sun Yi said hello to his parents and went upstairs to continue studying the liberal arts subjects that made him a little crazy. If it weren't for Anna coming to help Sun Yi tutor from time to time, I'm afraid she wouldn't be able to cope with the midterm exams that just ended.

When I think of that quirky girl next door, I can't help but think of a funny scene at school today. During recess, Sun Yi was bragging in the aisle with a group of boys in his class, and inadvertently saw Anna secretly pasting a note on the back of a female classmate named Sally that read "I'm a bastard".

Sally, who didn't know anything, was laughed at by her classmates for a whole day. Under the reminder of a kind classmate, I understood why the people who passed by her always had a smile on their faces. Sally, who learned the truth, cried bitterly on the spot.

Sun Yi looked at the corners of Anna's slightly upturned mouth, and broke out in a cold sweat. We can't afford to mess with this girl. What he didn't know was that the girl's pitiful encounter was actually caused by Sun Yi's joke and laughter with Sally for a few more days, and was seen by the sharp-eyed Anna.

At this time, Anna sat at the table, and under the light, she was a little clumsy in weaving the blue cotton threads together according to a certain pattern. This girl who is just starting to fall in love is fantasizing about the scene of hanging this love bracelet on her sweetheart's wrist.

The more she thought about it, the happier Anna became, and a sweet smile unconsciously crept up her delicate face. What a lucky boy that man!