Yao Ming told an emotional story about his first Chinese New Year away from home in 2002.

　　姚明讲述了一个关于他2002年第一次离家过年的感人故事。

　　Yao, who returned to Houston for the retirement of his No. 11 NBA jersey by the Rockets, said he was tricked into showing up at what was then the Compaq Center, where his teammates surprised him with traditional red envelopes.

　　近日姚明回到了休斯顿，举行了火箭队11号球衣退役仪式。他说他当时被骗到了康柏中心，他的队友们给了他一个惊喜——送给他红包。

　　There was only a $2 bill inside each one, but Yao treasured the gesture.

　　虽然每个红包里都只有2美元，但是姚明很珍惜队友的这一举动。

　　"I still have one of those $2 bills inside my pocket, and I carried it since then," Yao said, as the crowd cheered. "Because I know no matter where I go, as long as that bill’s in my pocket, home is with me."

　　在人群欢呼中，姚明说道：“我拿出一美元装在口袋里，从那时起就一直带着。因为我知道，无论我去哪，只要那一美元在我口袋里，家就在我身边。”

　　On Friday night, Yao’s jersey joined five great Houston Rockets players on the rafters of the Toyota Center.

　　周五晚上，姚明的球衣也像其他5名伟大的休斯顿火箭队球员一样被陈列在了丰田中心。

　　In a day of reflection and celebration, Rockets’ owner Leslie Alexander said he thought Yao’s career was cut too short, and that he could have brought the team several more championships.

　　在回忆和庆祝的那天，火箭队老板莱斯利·亚历山大表示说，他认为姚明的职业生涯被切断得太短，他本可以为火箭队赢得更多的冠军。

　　"Well obviously, we only retire really, great, great players," Alexander said. "Yao was a great, great player. I wanted him to be viewed as more than that, as an ambassador to the world and especially into China, and what a great person and humanitarian he is."

　　亚历山大说道：“很明显，我们只会退役那些真的非常非常伟大的球员。姚明是一个非常非常伟大的球员。但是我认为他比那还要伟大，对这个世界，尤其是中国来说，他是一个大使，他是一个非常伟大的人、一个杰出的人道主义者。”

　　The 7-foot-6 Yao was with the Rockets for eight seasons and averaged 19 points and nine rebounds a game. He was elected to the basketball Hall of Fame in April.

　　姚明身高7英尺6英寸，为火箭效力8个赛季，场均19分、9个篮板。去年四月，姚明入选篮球名人堂。

（编辑：何莹莹）