Hi, everyone. I'm Yao Ming. I left China for the firt time in 1997 to go to Nick's camp in Pairs. That's where I met my firtst NBA star, Tim Hardaway, who was one of the camp counselors. He looked like the rest of us-two hands, two legs, one head- but he was quicker than anybody I'd ever seen, especially the was he played with the ball. His footwork, his hands-move quickly. He would challenge everyone to play one-on-one until he was too tired to move. I don't remember who was the best player in camp because I didn't know what good basketball was then. There were eighty-five players at the camp, and I wore number 85. I wasn't worried about how good Hardaway was because at that time I was just thinking I'd play in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). I didn't think I'd see anyone like Hardaway again. The trip to Paris made a deep impression on me. I was there for only six days, but I learned a lot-not just about basketball, but maybe about myself and my place in the world of basketball, but maybe about myself and my place in the world of basketball. I found out there were a lot of great players outside China and how good a player could be. I knew for the first time where I stood among the best young players in the world. I thought "I'm not that good, but I'm not that bad". When I went to Pairs, I learned what was possible. There was no way to really know that until I left China.