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Colin : It wasn't until 1971 that China's attitude
towards the West was visibly changed by, of all
things, pingpong. China's surprise invitation to the
American pingpong team
paved the way for President Nixon's
historic icebreaker trip
in 1972. The last thirty years has seen China change
in radical ways and also cling stubbornly to the
past. But now a group of pingpong balls have again
become symbolically tied to the start of a new era.
Each spring, the National Basketball Association
conducts its draft
lottery where a winning pingpong
ball can change a team's destiny by granting it the first pick
in the coming player
draft.
Host : And the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft goes
to the Houston Rockets.
Colin : The Rockets immediately made it clear that
they would take 7'6'' Yao Ming from China. At 22
years old Yao Ming was the star of the Chinese
national team and a huge gamble for the Rockets.
Charles : If I had the number one pick in the draft, I
would take Caron Butler
or Jay Williams.
Kenny : Well, I have to agree a lot with Charles.
Anchorperson : With the first pick in the 2002 NBA
draft, the Houston Rockets select Yao Ming from
Shanghai, China and the
Shanghai Sharks.
Man : Yao was an unknown to many of the people in the
United States. Nevertheless, Houston was using the
number one pick
to select him. But the extra that was added was
literally being asked to carry the hopes of a nation
of a billion people and that placed enormous,
enormous pressure on him. |
