Former NBA great Yao Ming addresses Peng Shuai, Olympics
By KEN MORITSUGU
Associated Press
BEIJING (AP) — Former NBA great Yao Ming says he and others had a pleasant talk when they met last month with Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai. The Grand Slam champion in women’s doubles had disappeared after making a sexual assault allegation against a former high-ranking Chinese official. Yao played for the Houston Rockets from 2002-11. He used stories and humor to deflect challenging questions at a news conference to promote the Beijing Winter Olympics. He also says it is unfortunate that Novak Djokovic won’t play at the Australian Open because of his COVID-19 vaccination status. Yao adds that he isn’t qualified to judge Australia’s pandemic policies.