Yao to miss team events for Special Olympics in China Yao to miss team events for Special Olympics opening

All-Star center will skip media day, two practices to appear in Shanghai

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Rockets center Yao Ming will miss the team's Oct. 1 media day and first two days of practice to appear at the Special Olympics opening in Shanghai, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said Thursday.

Yao will be fined for missing media day and the practices, but Morey would not say the amount of the media day fine. Media day attendance is a high priority for the NBA and fines can exceed $20,000. The fines for missing practices are $2,500 for the first practice and $5,000 for the second.

Yao is scheduled to join the Rockets in Austin on Oct. 4, in time for the third practice.

"Yao is not going to be at the start of training camp. He's basically taking an extremely prominent role in the Special Olympics in his hometown," Morey said. "It is a setback. We've been trying to avoid it. That's why we've been sending coaches over there, CD (former Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson) and others, to keep him up to speed,

"I don't think we can look at it as anything but a bit of a setback to getting ready. He will miss the first three days and we're aware he will be a bit jetlagged when he arrives, but he'll be ready to go. There is a mandatory fine for missing media day and practices, which he is absorbing."

Morey said Yao will not be playing in the China National team exhibition games that also could have made him late for the start of training camp, but that his role in the Special Olympics is very important in Shanghai.

"He would never want to miss training camp," Morey said. "He is the last player that wants to miss practice time. He is quite distraught over it. He had no choice. He understands we have to fine him. He is going to call his teammates and explain it to them."

jonathan.feigen@chron.com