Chinese star Yao Ming will lead the Houston Rockets into China next October for two National Basketball Association pre-season games against Sacramento, the league announced.

The games will be played October 14 in Shanghai and October 17 in Beijing and are part of the NBA's plan to increase the league's exposure throughout Asia, NBA commissioner David Stern said.

"The NBA China games are the logical next step in the NBA's long-term relationship with Chinese basketball and Chinese fans," Stern said.

Yao will return to Shanghai, his hometown, where he once played for a Chinese league club and remains a hero.

"In a lot of ways it will be great for Shanghai to have the Houston Rockets because there are a lot of Rockets fans in Shanghai," Yao said. "I am happy to get another chance to play in Shanghai."

Beijing will host the 2008 Summer Olympics and Stern said the city would be capable of hosting regular-season NBA games before then, possibly in a fashion similar to the opening games the NBA has staged in Japan in previous years.

"I have been to Beijing and I have seen the facilities there," Stern said. "The facilities exist to have regular-season games, maybe in two or three years."

This will be the second NBA visit to China, the first in a quarter-century. The 1979 Washington Bullets played two exhibition games in China against Chinese talent.

Yao, a 7-foot-6 center, is beloved by sports fans across China, who helped vote him a starter for the Western Conference in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game here. Yao was also elected a starter last year in his first NBA season.

Endorsement deals, including a global contract signed Thursday with McDonald's, have made him a major figure on and off the court as firms seek a foothold with Chinese consumers.

Sun Kang-Lin, a leader of the Beijing municipal sports group, said Yao's popularity has spawned great interest in the sport among youth.

"Basketball grass roots and foundations are especially high among young people in Beijing," Sun said.

Steve Francis, Yao's Houston teammate and a starting All-Star guard, has some fancy footwork in mind for his visit to China.

"I look forward to going over there and seeing the Great Wall," Francis said. "Maybe me and Yao will be able to run up and down the Great Wall."

Also looking forward to the trip is Serbian star Predrag Stojakovic, the NBA's number three scorer at 25.4 points a game. He knows Sacramento will not have the crowd's support as they go against Yao and the Rockets.

"I'm looking forward to playing in China," Stojakovic said. "I have played all over the globe but have never had the opportunity to play in China."

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2004)