Operation Yao Ming
Subtitle: the Chinese sports empire, American big business, and the making of an NBA superstar
By: Brook Larmer.
Publisher: Gotham Books
Published: 2005
Place of publication: New York, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 350
ISBN-13: 9781592400782
Subjects: Yao, Ming, -- 1980-; Sports and state -- China.; Basketball players -- China -- Biography.
Genres: Biography.
Description: The story behind NBA giant Yao Ming, the ruthless Chinese sports machine that created him, and the East-West struggle over China's most famous son, opens with the story of Yao's parents, basketball players brought together by Chinese officials intent on creating a generation of athletes who could bring glory to their motherland. By age fourteen, Yao was pulled out of school to follow in the footsteps of his idol Wang Zhizhi, the star of the People's Liberation Army team. It wasn't long before American sports companies would set their sights on China's two tallest players. Journalist Larmer details the backroom maneuverings and uncovers the disturbing truth behind China's drive to produce Olympic champions, while also taking readers behind the scenes of America's basketball empire. Caught in the middle are two young men--one will become a superstar, the other a struggling athlete rejected by his homeland and running out of options.--From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [325]-332) and index.