NBA: I Built a Ball to Make Yao Ming Even Better

In NBA 2K25, Sun Fengyue created a basketball legend: under his control, Yao Ming won 10 championships and 8 regular-season MVP awards, finishing second in career points, third in rebounds, first in blocks, and first among centers in assists.

When he clicked the “Buy a Team” option, his one million in-game coins vanished. A flash of white light appeared, and when he opened his eyes again, he was lying beneath silk sheets in a Beijing mansion. The electronic calendar read January 15, 2003. Yao’s rookie season was just past its halfway point, and the NBA was planning to expand in the East.

As the heir to a wealthy family, a wild idea came to him: Why not build a team of his own? He thought of the giant panda, China’s most iconic symbol, and how it might spark something with basketball.

So construction began at an old arena in Baltimore, where a panda-themed domed stadium started to take shape. He brought in Spoelstra to refine the tactics and Thibodeau to build an ironclad defense. Even “Chief” Parish was coaxed out of retirement to coach the big men, along with the father of Golden State’s LaVine.

It was all for the Eastern giant standing beneath the basket.

“Your passes should be as precise as a panda chewing bamboo.”

Sun Fengyue laid out the future playbook from the game in the training facility and watched Yao evolve from a low-post beast into a player who could launch long passes across the court.

Stern stared at the playbook, stunned. “This panda is going to turn the league upside down!”

O’Neal rubbed his head after being faked out of his shoes. “Yao’s passing is scarier than my dunks!”

Watching the “Panda lineup” dart around the court, Sun Fengyue smiled.

“From the game to the real world, I’ll make the NBA remember the taste of Chinese basketball!”