TY  - BOOK
AU  - Larmer,Brook
TI  - Operation Yao Ming: the Chinese sports empire, American big business, and the making of an NBA superstar 
SN  - 9781592400782
PY  - 2005///
CY  - New York, N.Y.
PB  - Gotham Books
KW  - Yao, Ming
KW  - Basketball players
KW  - China
KW  - Biography
KW  - Sports and state
N1  - Includes bibliographical references (p. [325]-332) and index
N2  - 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
ER  -