Yao Ming signed a five-year contract worth more than US$75 million on Thursday, keeping the 2.29m center with the Houston Rockets through the 2010-11 NBA season.
The extension, the maximum allowed under the NBA's new labor deal, ended days of speculation about Yao's future. Owner Leslie Alexander called the agreement "as important as anything I've done as an owner."
"I think he could become one of greatest players in the history of the game," Alexander said during a conference call from New York. "To have the next great big man tied up for a long time is very, very important for this team and I believe it will give us a chance to compete for the championship for many years to come."
The contract will be 25 percent of the salary cap, meaning the first year will be worth an estimated US$12.5 million. The three-time NBA All-Star has one year remaining on his rookie contract, which will pay him more than US$5.5 million next season.
Yao said through an interpreter that the decision to remain in Houston was easy because he loves the city and his teammates.
"I have Mr. Alexander's trust and the chance to play in Houston," Yao said on the call from Beijing. "I believe I will have a great career in Houston. I want to win a championship in Houston and playing with Tracy McGrady, I believe we can do it."
Yao, currently working with the Chinese national team, averaged 18.3 points and 8.4 rebounds and two blocks last season. He has averaged 16.4 points and 8.5 rebounds in his three-year career.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB