Shark's Future Affected by Yao Ming's NBA Draft

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, June 28, 2002

Shark's Future Affected by Yao Ming's NBA Draft

For the Shanghai Oriental Sharks, it's a bitter-sweet experience to see Yao Ming, the star centre of the rising club in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league, become the No 1 pick of the Houston Rockets in the NBA draft on Wednesday.

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Profile: Yao Ming

Birthdate: 9/12/80
NBA Position: Center
Team: Shanghai Sharks
Education: Shanghai Sports College
Ht: 7-5
Wt: 295
Hometown: Shanghai, China

Despite the widespread attraction of the draft and the apparently wider stage it offers for the personal professional career of the 2.26-metre Chinese centre with his entry into the NBA, the Sharks have to face the aftermath of the loss of Yao, which analysts say could seriously affect the club's prospects in the league.

"We have made quite a few sacrifices to help Yao in the draft," said Bai Li, general manager of the Sharks, in a briefing yesterday.

"His leave requires us to make substantial changes in our team's composition, training and overall tactics to retain our position in the league," said Bai.

The loss of Yao, together with that of his predecessors Wang Zhizhi to the Dallas Mavericks and Menk Bateer to the Denver Nuggets, may result in a weakening of public interest in the CBA league, while increasing the box-office revenues of the NBA teams, insiders said.

To pave a smooth way for Yao's entry into the draft, the Sharks and the Houston Rockets signed a series of agreements based on mutual "sensible" understanding of the matter after months of delicate negotiations, Bai added.

According to the agreements, the two clubs will be engaged in extensive long-term co-operation activities in fields like marketing, media coverage and staff training. Yao Ming will also act as a public promotional figure for the Sharks and Shanghai when he comes back for public activities like juvenile basketball training camps.

When it comes to the sensitive matter of economic compensation for Yao's transfer, Bai seems tight-lipped.

"We just believe that the amount of compensation must be decided on the basis of mutual understanding and trust," said Bai, refusing to specify any amount.

Yao's brand new switch to the NBA can't be summed up in mere figures, he added.

Though the Rockets have acquired a last-minute letter from the CBA in which the Chinese basketball's governing body assures Yao's release, the promising star's future in the NBA still depends on detailed negotiations, especially about money, insiders said.

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