The joke was supposed to be on Yao. It was 2003, a few months into Yao Ming’s rookie year in Houston. A Rockets staffer found a mouse in the locker room. He stuck it in a shoebox and left it in Yao’s locker. The hope was that the mild-mannered, 7-foot-6 center would jump at the sight of the rodent. He didn’t. Yao opened the box and calmly looked across the room at Moochie Norris, Houston’s 6-1 backup point guard.

“Oh,” Yao said. “Moochie’s brother.”

Colin Pine chuckles at the memory. It’s one of thousands. For three years Pine was immersed in the life of the most compelling story in basketball. In 2002, Yao was the NBA’s top overall pick. He was the first international player to go No. 1 – and the biggest basketball star to come out of Asia, ever.

Yao needed a translator. And Pine needed a change of scenery. Back then, Pine was translating transcripts for Voices of America, a U.S. government broadcast network. He was traveling, often to Asia, where he once taught English in Taiwan. He toyed with going to law school. A few weeks before Yao was drafted, a friend told him about a job posted on an Asian study board. Pine punched up his resumé and applied. Three interviews later and Pine was hired as Yao’s bridge to the English-speaking world.

Pine knew Yao, who will be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, was a big deal. A lifelong basketball fan, Pine had noted the intense media coverage the months before the 2002 draft. “I had a sense of it,” Pine told The Vertical. “But I wasn’t wholly prepared for how big it was.” He met Yao on his first day, at the airport, where Pine, Yao’s mother, Fang Fengdi and a Rockets PR staffer picked up Yao. From there it was off to a press conference, where the crush of reporters offered a taste of the atmosphere Pine would have to get used to. “It was surreal,” Pine said. “And it was like that everywhere we went. Especially that first year. That first year was insane.”

Yao Ming was the No. 1 overall pick in 2002. (Getty) More

Even today, Pine marvels at Yao’s ability to handle so much. He was the No. 1 pick and was expected to play like it. Early on, he didn’t. Two weeks into the season, TNT analyst Charles Barkley said Yao – then averaging 3.3 points – wouldn’t score 19 in a game. The comment didn’t go unnoticed. Two days later, Yao went for 20.

The media scrutiny was intense and stronger in Asian-rich cities such as Toronto and San Francisco. “Probably double the number of media there,” Pine said. So, too, were the marketing responsibilities. On New Year’s Eve 2002, Houston played an afternoon game at home against Milwaukee. That night, Yao hopped on a plane to Los Angeles to film an Apple commercial with actor Verne Troyer. It was one of the few times Pine can recall seeing Yao worn down from his duties. “He was an incredibly responsible person,” Pine said. “But he never had any down time. It wore on him. He always did everything with a smile on his face and he always tried to be accommodating. But it was a lot to take on.”

Humor was an outlet. “He had a very dry sense of humor,” Pine said. Norris was a frequent target. Players frequently change out of their sneakers after morning shootarounds. Yao, aware of Norris’ limited vertical leap, was known to take one of Norris’ shoes and put it on the back of the rim. Yao was popular with his teammates, yet forged the closest relationships with Steve Francis and Bostjan Nachbar, two players, Pine said, “who didn’t treat him like a No. 1 pick.”

For three years, Pine saw all of it. What began as a working relationship blossomed into a friendship. To ease the transition, Pine lived with Yao. As an employee, Pine helped Yao pay his bills, translate his phone calls and chauffer him to practice in Yao’s Toyota SUV. As a friend, Pine spent hours playing Street Fighter and CrossFire, Yao’s favored downtime activities. Toward the end of Yao’s second year, Pine began looking at other opportunities. Yao’s command of English was growing – “He was pretty self-sufficient,” said Pine, who anticipated his employment ending. A few weeks before the end of the season, Yao approached Pine: Could you stick around another year?

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