Yao Ming attends a dinner banquet hosted by the Yao Ming Fan Club in Houston on Thursday. [Photo by May Zhou/China Daily]

The 7-foot-6 Yao was with the Rockets from 2002 to 2011 for eight seasons, where he averaged 19 points and nine rebounds a game. He was elected to the basketball Hall of Fame in April. His fame helped to make the National Basketball Association popular in China, which is the league largest market outside the US.

Days before the official program on Friday, Houston was already abuzz with talks about Yao's return to Houston, his home for a decade.