Chinese abuse a new Ming dynasty

I'm six feet, three inches tall and twice in the last few months I've felt very small indeed. Both times were at airports. An Irish footballer gave me a few acid words in passing at a baggage carousel, and I mouthed like a goldfish trying to think of a reply, any reply. Duh!

That was a few months after I'd seen Yao Ming at Sydney airport. Slightly different experience. Yao Ming was looming in the duty free. I turned around and he was standing behind me and, literally, I jumped. I haven't seen many seven feet six humans. Here was one. He was considering buying a watch. Not a bad idea for a man whose head is in a different time zone to his feet when he lies down.

Yes, that was my response to being beside Yao Ming. All those little teases that used to come the way of us lanks in the schoolyard came bubbling up. What's the weather like up there, Yao? Yup. He's big, real big and handsome in a lantern-jawed way, and when I took a few steps away from him I found myself backing into a knot of people, all of them staring up at Yao like awestruck kids.

They reckon if he got to the NBA he could be the best player in the world within four years. And he has that sort of time to play with: he's 20 now. With a bit of weight and a bit of coaching he'd be the new Shaquile O'Neal.

He went home from Sydney a loser, and the thrashing the Chinese took at the hands of the American superstars was especially painful: 119-72. Not the sort of score that advertises you to the NBA. Yet in the first half Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi (seven feet, one inch), who together make up the so-called Great Wall of China (aren't we sportswriters clever?), had enjoyed periods of dominance, and for a while they had even enjoyed the lead. Yet here was Yao Ming looking wistfully at the jewellery and wondering if his $8,000-ayear salary (plus endorsements) as a player for the Shanghai Sharks could sustain the impact of buying a chunky watch or a bracelet. Probably not. Then again, how often is a guy going to be 19 and at the Olympics? When indeed will Yao Ming be here again amidst this western opulence? Could be next week, next month. Could be never.

Back in March of 2000, things (as opposed to people) were looking up for Yao Ming. He'd just been invited to the Nike Hoop Summit in Indianapolis. Although Yao Ming's future still depends on the outcome of diplomatic summits, the Indianapolis affair is pure basketball, a showcase for international players hoping to enter the NBA draft. It's a key part of the window shopping season for agents and teams.

The Chinese government refused to let Yao Ming travel to Indianapolis, stating that he was tired, before adding that Yao Ming "must abide by this decision". Yao Ming will be in China for some time to come. Like it or not. Next Sunday the deadline for entering the NBA draft will pass. No word yet for Yao Ming to pack his toothbrush.

His partner in the Great Wall has been more fortunate. Wang Zhizhi is playing in the NBA play-offs with the Dallas Mavericks. A lieutenant in the Chinese army, Wang's game has been eclipsed by Yao Ming in the past couple of years. Thus, when Wang's team won their sixth Chinese national title in a row this spring, he was allowed to leave. This was two years after he had first been drafted by Dallas. He'll make $800,000 over the next couple of years as he puts on some weight and develops the speedier touch of a top pro. Then he'll be ready for the big money. It didn't take long for Wang to learn the culture he had come to. The Dallas Mavericks, like a lot of basketball teams, offer a bonus to fans if the team scores 100 points or more in a game. In Dallas everyone in the house gets free chalupas from Taco Bell. With the attendance roaring "Chalupas! Chalupas!", it was Wang who put the Mavs over the 100 mark. Then and there they christened him Mr Chalupa, and at the post-match press conference Mr Chalupa made a couple of apposite quips about what he'd be eating from now on.

SO WHY free Mr Chalupa and keep Yao Ming? Well, firstly, Mr Chalupa isn't entirely free. He shouldn't enter into any long-term endorsement deals with Taco Bell just yet. The Chinese army haven't told him whether he can play next season, and he will be made to return to China during the summer when he should be beefing up in Texas. Why? The root of it all, of course, is politics, and, in a low-key but fundamental way, human rights.

The NBA wants Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi because since the abdication of Michael Jordan no one has emerged as an icon. No one sells tickets or TV deals or sneakers like Jordan did. Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi, by virtue of their height and skills, could be sure-fire NBA successes. That unlocks a developing market of 1.3 billion people. More than enough to make up the Jordan shortfall.

And for the Chinese? They want the Olympics and they'll trample all over the rights of the individual to get those Games. If Yao Ming gets to America the state will negotiate his deal for him. The cost is expected to be a proportion of his wages. The smart money says that nothing will happen in Yao Ming's career till the destination of the Games has been decided. He will be used accordingly.

And there we have it. A very minor human rights case by Chinese standards. Yao Ming is idolised. He's not a dissident, not a trade unionist. But he's an Olympian, one who is denied freedom of movement. In June, unless the sky collapses the IOC will vote to give the Olympic Games of 2008 to Beijing, regardless of Yao Ming's fate let alone that of the Falun Gong. And then Yao Ming will be expected to lead his country to a gold medal and to stand stern and tall when his nation's flag is raised in 2008.

Hey, Yao! Penny for your thoughts!