All of the Chinese people, the Asian people say, "Oh Yao Ming, you are all the Chinese, all of Asia's hopes." That's a lot of pressure. I'm just a basketball player.

I think I'll stick to what I'm used to, my principles, and that is team Number 1 and individual Number 2.

Westerners respect privacy, and they are very competitive in terms of work and personalities. My teammates in China and I can talk about everything. But with my Houston Rockets teammates, even though we're friends, we cannot ask each other about everything.

Sport is the best means of communication between people from different religions and countries.

Kobe's heart is as strong as his muscles.

The Olympic Games is holy. Athletes from around the world, including myself, of course, dream to participate.

The NBA is a big family, and I think of all these rookies as my brothers. I still believe I am blue collar among the All-Stars.