It was not yet six in the morning on June 27th in China, but Yao Ming and his family were already up.
"Son, you should change your shirt. Here, I've had this one ready for you," Yao Ming's mother said, holding out a short-sleeved shirt.
Yao Ming quickly shook his head. "I can't. Nike requires me to wear this one. I can't change."
It was a white short-sleeved shirt with the Nike logo on the right side of the chest, and on the left, the word "China" printed in Chinese characters.
Just then, Yao Ming's father, his agent Bill Duffy, and his cousin-in-law Zhang Mingji walked over. They said it was about time to go.
The group would be heading to the Capital's CNN headquarters to connect with the live draft event.
The Eastern Team had originally wanted Yao Ming to return to Shanghai, as they had also arranged for a full live broadcast.
