When Yao Ming arrived in Houston, Rockets owner Les Alexander said that his new 7-foot-5 center would someday be bigger than Michael Jordan.

	Yao Ming is just starting to conquer the NBA and the world.

At first, that statement made me laugh out loud. But then again, I thought, Alexander didn't become a millionaire by making stupid business decisions. And thus far, Yao has made Alexander a man of his word.

Yao is a heck of a basketball player who will eventually lead the Rockets to a championship. Yao is the real deal -- a shot-blocking, frapuccino-drinking, jump-shooting, money-making machine!

And that, my friends, is key. Because money talks. When you speak the international language of dollars and cents, people listen, like in the old E.F. Hutton commercials. And once people are listening, the real fun begins.

Business people are salivating at the untapped Chinese-American consumer market. That's approximately 2 billion people who have yet to view their first NBA-related infomercial. It's the financial wild, wild west. For the companies that sell sneakers, cell phones and other goodies and services -- you know, the stuff we just can't live without -- it will be a bonanza.

Good news for the Phil Knights of the world. Better news for the Chinese-American population in search of a sports icon. Those people won't benefit financially but will gain by leaps and rebounds socially by Yao's mere presence.

Think about how poorly the Asian-American population is represented on television. Now, in sports specifically. Sports, after all, play a huge role in influencing social change.

In our great country, while people of different races, creeds and colors are accepted, Chinese-Americans are not adequately represented. At least not front and center. Well, until now. Thanks to Yao.

Lay off LeBron, people

	Ohio school officials won't be able to cash in on LeBron James' dunks anymore.

My father is a basketball coach. College basketball fed my family and put clothes on my back. But I must admit, it makes me feverish to hear the chatter regarding the exploitation of LeBron James.

Someone needs to explain to me the difference between James and Wayne Gretzky, Andre Agassi and golfer Ty Tryon. And what about Tara Lipinski or Venus and Serena Williams? Each of these successful athletes began his or her career at an exceptionally young age. And I don't recall much ballyhoo to keep a young Miss Lipinski off the Wheaties box!

The difference? College basketball has something to gain by keeping James in school. Jumping right to the NBA keeps James from partaking in the money-making system that is the NCAA. So what right do we have to fault James for using his talent to better his own situation?

Sure, there have been instances where kids thrown into the spotlight have gone astray. But in this case, if people are so concerned about "the kids," why aren't we doing more to clean up the inner-city school systems? Why aren't we buying them books when they're 6 years old instead of sneakers when they're 16?

This story is masked as exploitation. But really, James is just getting ready to ace the system. It goes back to how the system is built and who reaps the benefits. It's not all-inclusive. The players can't accept a nickel, while the system feeds off their talent.

And those not getting a taste of LeBron James are not happy about it.

Kevin Frazier is the studio host of "NBA Shootaround" on Tuesdays and "NBA Friday" on ESPN.