I got to see him play in person one time.
It's a cliche to say "I knew he was tall, but when you see him in person... he's really tall!" Several times Gilbert Arenas (this is back when he had knees) would blow by his man at the top of the key, see Yao looming in front of him, and then keep his dribble alive so he could pull the ball back out. I remember Muresan too, who was an effective player despite moving like Vincent D'Onofrio in Men In Black, so a freakishly tall player with actual coordination was a really towering obstacle.
Also, there were a ton of Chinese fans at the game. Just well represented in every section of the arena, with a lot of area Chinese student groups, churches, etc. getting shout-outs on the jumbotron when they listed group package buyers. All stereotypically polite, and even though Yao was the reason they were there, they embraced the whole team. I don't think I'll ever see that many Asian people cheering for Rafer Alston and Luther Head.
