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Shaquille O'Neal of the NBA's Miami Heat poses with young Chinese basketball players during a media event in Beijing August 14, 2007. O'Neal is on a promotional tour around China by the invitation of Li Ning, China's leading sportswear manufacturer.[Reuters]
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NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal will give Yao Ming 24-inch car rims as a wedding gift when China's Houston Rockets star celebrates his third wedding ceremony later this year.
O'Neal, the Miami Heat's All-star center, is currently on a tour of China organized by his sponsor Li-Ning.
"I've heard the news that Yao has married a beautiful basketball player," the famous 34-year-old giant said.
"If you let me choose a wedding gift for him, I would give Yao four 24-inch customized rims at his wedding ceremony."
A number of NBA stars are crazy about custom cars- and big, shiny rims top their wish lists. But Yao is not so enamored of the four-wheeled sport, preferring to drive a BMW 7-series rather than more extravagant rides like Ferrari roadsters or SUVs. In fact, the only customized feature of Yao's car is a "Y&Y" logo - for Yao and his wife Ye Li - on the rear.
The 27-year-old Yao, a 2.26-meter center for the Texan NBA franchise, married his girlfriend of eight years last week.
The couple held two ceremonies, one in Yao's hometown of Shanghai and another in Beijing where China's national team is based.
The wedding of Yao and Ye, a former Chinese National Team player and current University of Houston student, attracted huge media attention in China.
Some reports have claimed the center will celebrate another wedding in Houston in autumn, where O'Neal believes he will be among the guests.
"I am sure he has sent the invitation to me," he said.
"I haven't checked my mailbox recently because I travel a lot, but I am sure he did."
Having witnessed Yao's NBA evolution in the past five years, O'Neal has changed his tune on the Chinese player after questioning Yao's ability during his rookie year.
"Obviously Yao has grown into one of the best centers in the league," O'Neal said.
"He is awful (to play against) on both ends. I have to be well prepared before the games against the Rockets.
"The other kid (Yi Jianlian) is also impressive, I know he can shoot, dunk and spin. I am sure he will make his place in the league.
"I am happy to see more and more Chinese players coming up - it is very good for the league as a whole."
O'Neal is widely regarded as the NBA's most dominant centre after winning four NBA championships, three with the Los Angeles Lakers between 2000 and 2002 and one with the Heat last year.
He signed a sponsorship deal with China sportswear manufacturing giant Li-Ning last year and has worn its shoes ever since.
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(China Daily) |
NBA巨星“大鲨鱼”奥尼尔将在姚明今年晚些时候在NBA摆喜酒时送给这位火箭队球星几个24英寸的汽车轮，作为结婚礼物。
迈阿密热队的全明星中锋奥尼尔目前正在中国参加李宁公司组织的“侠客中国行”活动。
这位34岁的著名球星说：“我听说姚明娶了个漂亮的篮球运动员。”
“如果让我为姚明挑选一个结婚礼物，我会在他的婚宴上送他四个24英寸的定制车轮。”
很多NBA球星都喜欢定制车，又大又炫的车轮是他们的最爱。但姚明对此并不十分感兴趣，他更喜欢开宝马7系列，而不是像法拉利和SUV那些较为奢华的车。其实，姚明的车唯一“特别定制”的地方就是车后方的“Y&Y”（Yao Ming & Ye Li）标志。
上周，27岁的姚明与相恋八年的女友结婚。这位身高2米26的球员是NBA得克萨斯火箭队的中锋。
姚明和叶莉在国内办了两场婚宴，其中一场在姚明的家乡上海，另一场在中国国家篮球队的大本营北京。
姚明和叶莉的婚礼引起中国媒体的高度关注。曾为国家女篮队员的叶莉现在休斯敦大学读书。
一些报道称，姚明将于今年秋天在休斯敦宴请队友，奥尼尔相信姚明一定会邀请他。
他说：“我相信姚明一定给我发了请柬。”
“因为近来我到处跑，没空查邮箱。但我相信他一定会邀请我。”
奥尼尔见证了姚明在NBA五个赛季的成长，他在姚明刚加入NBA时，曾怀疑过他的能力，之后他改变了对姚明的看法。
奥尼尔说：“无疑，姚明已经成长为NBA最好的中锋之一。”
“他攻防都很厉害。在和火箭队打比赛之前，我得做好充分的准备。”
“另一个小将（易建联）也很不错，能投、能扣，转身过人的速度也快。我相信他能在联盟立足。”
“我很高兴看到越来越多的中国球员加入联盟，这对于整个联盟来说十分有利。”
奥尼尔被认为是NBA最具统治力的中锋。他曾带领球队四次夺得NBA总冠军，其中三次是在洛杉矶湖人队，夺得2000年至2002年赛季的冠军，一次是去年在热队夺冠。
去年，奥尼尔与中国的李宁体育用品公司签署了广告代言协议，自此，他就穿李宁牌的运动鞋了。
（英语点津姗姗编辑） |
