He is one of the country's biggest stars and is credited with boosting China's interest in the NBA. During his nine seasons with the Houston Rockets, his games were broadcast on national television in China, and he was selected to carry China's flag during the opening ceremonies at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

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He went on to spend four years playing in the NBA, the top basketball league in the world, with Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets.

BBC: John Amaechi

At the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics conference here Friday, a panel of experts including former NBA exec Russ Granik of Galatioto Sports Partners, sports economist Andrew Zimbalist of Smith College, former Houston Rockets CEO George Postolos and former Portland Trail Blazers VP Tom Penn, a noted salary cap expert, kicked around the labor issues confronting the major sports leagues.

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In the NBA, only two teams seeded No. 6 or worse have reached the finals since 1994: the 1995 Houston Rockets and 1999 New York Knicks.

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