According to a recent press release, last year more than 15 NBA teams incorporated Asian American marketing efforts into their overall marketing plans. And the timing isn't due just to Yao; today, there are three Chinese players in the NBA: Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, Wang Zhizhi of the Los Angeles Clippers and Mengke Bateer of the Toronto Raptors.

There are more than 2.4 million Chinese residents in the U.S. And the NBA needs all the fans it can get these days. Here's an excerpt from the press release:

"The timing is perfect for the NBA to take this important step in reaching out to the Chinese population in the United States," said Saul Gitlin, executive vice president-strategic services at Kang & Lee Advertising. "Not only are Chinese the largest Asian group in the country, but they have an unusually high level of education and boast a median household income of $51,444 - almost $10,000 ahead of the median for all households in the country. The intense passion for basketball within the Chinese community presents many opportunities for the NBA."

The NBA has also done a fine job of marketing itself globally. Jordan wasn't the world's most popular athlete by chance. The NBA had been pumping game highlights globally during most of his reign. And now, the NBA is awakening to Web globalization...

The NBA has enjoyed tremendous popularity in China. During the 2002-03 season, a record 14 telecasters televised NBA games and programs in China, with NBA programming reaching a total of 314 million TV households. The league also launched NBA.com/china, a comprehensive internet destination, written entirely in Chinese.