As the first Chinese male athlete to win an Olympic track gold, Liu is one of the nation's favorite sports stars like NBA Houston Rockets' center Yao Ming.

作为第一位赢得奥运田径项目金牌的中国男选手，同nba休斯顿火箭队主力选手姚明一样，刘翔是国民最喜爱的运动明星之一。

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The southern American city of Houston is not one of great renown, yet it is one of the most famous in China because Yao Ming has made his home there with NBA team, the Rockets.

美国的南部城市休斯顿不是一个极负盛名的城市，但是在中国它是最有名的一个城市之一，因为NBA球队，火箭队的大本营在那里，姚明的家也安在那里。

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Fans took to the Internet Friday to express their feelings about the basketball star, who plays with the Houston Rockets in the NBA.

周五很多球迷通过互联网表达了他们对于这位篮球巨星，NBA休斯顿火箭队球员的深厚感情。

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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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