homa to be with his family and that he didnt know if hed

When I got traded to the Houston Rockets in 2004 I really didnt know Yao Ming. Hed been in the league a few years, wed both been to the All-Star Game and we played against each other a few times, but I had never talked to him.I didnt think he could speak any English and I was worried about that. I thought: How is this going to work?I had just won the last two scoring titles with the Orlando Magic, but I was so excited to be playing with a great big man that I knew I was going to have to work with him and feed him the ball. But to do that, we needed communication.How would I talk to him on the court? Would I have to look over at an interpreter on the bench every time we needed to say something to each other? I was thinking maybe wed have earpieces or something.When I finally met him, I realized two things: he does speak English and not only does he speak it, he has an amazing sense of humor.I loved seeing his personality come out more and more over the years as he got more comfortable in Houston. Thats how I really learned what an amazing person he is. He will sometimes just pretend he doesnt speak English -- he does that even to this day!I remember when he came to my wedding reception in 2006. My family and friends were so excited and they all wanted to take pictures and get autographs, and he pretended he couldnt understand them. I just had to sit back and laugh.Man, you never really get over his size, a guy who is 7-foot-6 and that big. Even now when we stand next to each other, I cant get over it.Thats why Yao getting into the Hall of Fame is so deserved. His skills for a man his size were just unbelievable. He could do everything. He could post up, score with either hand, shoot a jumper, he had an array of moves. He could block shots. He passed so well and thats so rare for a guy his size.?Id never played with a big man of his caliber. I didnt know he was that skilled before I came to the Rockets, but then I saw it every day in practice, every day before games, after games. He really put in the work to perfect his craft -- he even took our technical foul shots because he was that great of a free throw shooter.He had a mean streak, too. Youd see it come out whenever hed get dunked on.Then there was Yaos impact on the global game. You have to understand, before him, basketball wasnt popular in China. I had made trips there before he came into the league, and there was basketball, but it wasnt a part of the Chinese culture.Now, theres over 300 million people in China playing because of Yao Ming.I saw it. I felt it. That is his legacy. He brought NBA basketball to China and I will forever be thankful that I was able to be a part of it. He introduced the country to Tracy McGrady.?We were their heroes. They didnt see Michael Jordan play, they saw us. They saw Yao.In 2007, there was a game we played in Houston against the Milwaukee Bucks when they had former No. 6 overall pick and fellow Chinese star, Yi Jianlian. It was just a regular-season game, but 200 million people watched in China.Thats Yaos impact. I was in awe.When I think of the six seasons we played together, it hurts. Its tough for me to speak about even now. We never got a fair chance because of injuries.We couldve had a championship team, Yao and me. We had several great opportunities. There were times when we were thriving. But we could never be healthy; its so unfortunate. The one year we had the team -- wed gotten Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Kyle Lowry, Carl Landry, Ron Artest -- I was thinking that was the year.Then I blew out my knee. I was devastated. That team was so good. The guys beat the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round and we were in a battle with the?Los Angeles Lakers?in the second round when Yao broke his foot. That was our?year.What if. So many what ifs.We still had some great memories. We hosted the All-Star Game in Houston together and we both addressed the crowd before the game and he spoke in English, Ill always remember that. It was awesome.We had a 22-game winning streak in 2007-08, the fourth-longest run in NBA history. Even then, Yao got hurt after the 12th win. If we had something to hold onto, thats it. When we were both healthy, we really were great together.Yao is truly a great and humble person. You just cant recognize his accomplishments on the court without seeing his kindness and humbleness off it. I am proud to call Yao my friend.He opened so many doors. He personally put me in position to have a life after basketball. Im so lucky to have had a chance to know him, play with him and to work with him. He has a legacy very few have, and he has been and will continue to be a great influence.Its what he does, its who he is. Tom Brady Patriots Jersey . There was no hesitation from the 40th-ranked Pospisil, from Vernon, B.C., who admitted that he cut back on his training sessions over the last few days to conserve energy as the long ATP season finishes next week at the Paris Masters. Kevin Faulk Patriots Jersey .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. http://www.patriotsjerseysauthentic.com/Sony-Michel-Super-Bowl-Jersey/ . "It was nerve-wracking, but we pulled through," said Collaros, who threw four touchdown passes to lead the Toronto Argonauts (8-4) to a 33-27 win over the Calgary Stampeders (9-3) in front of 28,781 fans at McMahon Stadium. John Hannah Patriots Jersey . Catch all the action on TSN2 at 11pm et/8pm pt. The nine-time Big 12 champion Jayhawks are positioning themselves for another title, as they have run out to a flawless 6-0 mark in conference play thus far. Rob Gronkowski Womens Jersey . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. OKLAHOMA CITY -- A man who gunned down a Southwest Airlines employee outside of Oklahoma Citys airport likely did so in retaliation for having lost his own job with the airline last year, police said Wednesday.Lloyd Dean Buie, 45, killed 52-year-old Michael Winchester on Tuesday as Winchester was leaving work and walking to an employee parking lot, police Capt. Paco Balderrama said at a news conference. Buie fired the shot from the fourth floor of a parking garage when Winchester was about 50 yards away, he said. Buie was later found dead in his pickup truck in the garage.We know his intention was to go to the airport to hurt someone, Balderrama said. The suspect knew where the employees parked and where they would be walking.Winchester died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, the Oklahoma Medical Examiners Office ruled Wednesday. Buies death was ruled a suicide from a single gunshot wound to the head.Buie quit his job as a ramp agent for Southwest in April 2015 after he refused to take an alcohol screening, airline spokeswoman Brandy King said Wednesday. She said co-workers had suspected Buie was under the influence at work, but she declined to say if Winchester, a ramp supervisor who had worked for Southwest for 29 years, was involved.Our Southwest family is grieving, as we are deeply saddened by the loss of our family member. Our focus remains on offering support to the Winchester family and Southwest employees during this difficult time, King said.Police said Winchester wasnt Buies immediate supervisor, but they believe the circumstances surrounding Buies quitting were likely his motive for the attack.The Associated Press tried calling four of Buies family members, but the calls either rang unanswered or the numbers had been disconnected.ddddddddddddWinchester, who has a listed address in Washington, a community about 35 miles south of the airport, was a former University of Oklahoma football player whose son James is a long snapper for the Kansas City Chiefs.Chiefs players and coaches expressed support for their teammate Wednesday, with head coach Andy Reid saying James Winchester had returned to Oklahoma to be with his family and that he didnt know if hed return in time for Sundays game against Tampa Bay. Punter Dustin Colquitt said he spoke to Winchester, who told him: Obviously this is a tough time for my family, but I appreciate the thoughts and prayers.The shooting set off a scramble at Will Rogers World Airport, with police immediately closing the sprawling complex and asking passengers to seek cover.Police found Buies pickup truck in the parking garage about three hours after the shooting. They used a robot to determine he was dead inside it before giving the all-clear.Balderrama said Buie likely would have needed a scope on his rifle to shoot Winchester from that distance.It would definitely require familiarity with a rifle, he said. You dont have to be an expert marksman to hit a 50-yard shot, but its not an easy shot either.The attack led to the cancellation of 25 flights. Normal airport operations resumed Wednesday.---Associated Press sports writers Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this report. ' ' '