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Yao was ready to start his global journey years ago. Chinese officials, however, were hesitant. "They knew he would play in the U.S. eventually," says Ronzone, now director of international scouting for the Detroit Pistons. "But you have to understand, they're a proud people, and he's a national treasure. They wanted him playing at home until they understood the American landscape." In 2001 the Chinese sports authorities allowed two accomplished but lesser players, Mengke Bateer and Wang Zhizhi, to test the NBA waters. Meanwhile, Chinese officials huddled with international scouts to determine whether Yao would be the top pick in the next NBA draft. "They wanted to know what city he would go to," says a scout, who adds that the officials preferred that Yao play for a strong team in a city with a sizable Asian community. They also wanted to know "how much he'd get paid and, most important, if he'd embarrass the Chinese people against NBA competition." And? "I told them he'd probably be a fair player."
Last May Houston--a city with 104,000 Asian residents--was awarded the first pick in the draft, and Chinese officials decided it was time to negotiate Yao's release. (The NBA may schedule Rockets preseason games in Beijing and Shanghai next year; the Rockets paid Yao's Chinese professional team a $350,000 transfer fee, and Yao will give at least 50% of his salary to various Chinese sporting bodies while continuing to play for the Chinese national team in international competitions like the Olympics.) When Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson finally met the future of his franchise in Shanghai, he was stunned: "Yao walked up to me and asked, 'Do you think I'm way behind because I didn't go to four years of college in America?' I thought, 'What the--? His English is better than mine!'"
National-team commitments kept Yao in China until nine days before the NBA's season opener. When he finally arrived in Houston in late October, Yao had little idea what his teammates were doing on the court. "In the first practice, we could see that he had a lot of skill," says Rockets forward Maurice Taylor, "but he was lost. Brand-new system, brand-new rules--he was a rookie, plain and simple."
Yao's first six games were a disaster. He averaged fewer than 4 points and was frequently out of position on defense. He made highlight films the world over when a crossover dribble by Phoenix Suns guard Stephon Marbury fooled him so badly that he crumpled to the floor like a shot giraffe. Then in a November game against the Lakers, Yao came alive. He hit all nine of his shots, scored 20 points and grabbed six rebounds. Shaquille O'Neal, with an injured toe, missed Yao's coming out, but Shaq was back by the time the Rockets and Lakers squared off again on Jan. 17, in what turned out to be the NBA's second-highest-rated regular-season game ever on cable. Yao blocked five of O'Neal's shots--almost half as many blocks as Shaq had suffered in the previous 26 games--and finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. (Shaq scored 31 and was his usual unstoppable self, but the Rockets won the game in overtime.) "All I was hoping was that by Christmas, he'd be able to play 20 minutes a game," says Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich. "You could say I've been pleasantly surprised."