Yao Ming, Sharks hit town this weekend

MANILA, Philippines – The Shanghai Sharks are flying to Manila tomorrow night while owner and former NBA star Yao Ming will plane in on Saturday as they gear up for the Philippine-China Friendship Games highlighted by a pair of exhibition games on May 6 and 7.

"He will be arriving on May 4 at 7:30 p.m.," Phl Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia, whose government agency is organizing the event that seeks to generate funds of the training of the national athletes, told The STAR on Thursday, referring to the 7-6 Yao.

"The whole Shanghai Sharks team, for their part, are flying here tomorrow (Friday) also at 7:30 p.m.," he added.

Yao, who played nine seasons with the Houston Rockets in the NBA, including the final few years where he was saddled by various injuries, and the Sharks are out to do clinics and play a pair of exhibition matches against Smart Gilas Pilipinas on May 6 at the MOA Arena and a PBA selection the next day at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Interestingly, the pair of exhibition games will be held one day after the PBA All-Star Weekend in Digos, Davao del Sur from May 1-5.

While Gilas is expected to field in the same roster of the PBA All-Star, the same could not be said of the PBA selection although it has already released its All-Star lineup headed by San Mig Coffee’s James Yap and Barangay Ginebra’s Mark Caguioa.

Garcia reiterated their decision to slash the ticket prizes in half to make it more affordable to basketball fans.

"We are offering a 50 percent discount on all the tickets to the two games," he said.

The highest-priced tickets were originally pegged at P2,500 for VIP seats, P1,250 for patron, P1,000 for lower box, P750 for upper box A, P500 for upper box B and P300 for general admission.

Now, everything is half the price.