The Year of The Yao

The Year of the Yao, a documentary about Yao Ming's first year in the USA and NBA, opens this weekend in Houston.

The film presents the incredible pressure placed on Yao, not only as a basketball player and the top pick in the 2002 NBA draft but also as an icon from a nation relatively unknown to Western sports fans. It lets viewers tag along through Yao's rookie season, largely through the eyes of his interpreter and friend, Colin Pine. It peeks behind the usually closed doors of the practice courts, charter jets and training rooms and even briefly into his home near Katy.

You can see a trailer at the official site. Time permitting, I'd really like to see this movie. It'll probably have to wait till it's out on DVD, though. Both the Chron and the Press give it good reviews. If anyone gets to see it in the theaters, please leave a comment.

By the way, I think the best thing that ever happened to Yao was the arrival of Lebron James on the scene. King James has done a pretty masterful job of taking the media monster off Yao's back. Having Dikembe Mutombo around probably hasn't hurt, either.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on April 15, 2005 to TV and movies | TrackBack