Frank Carlson Library

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...