Recently, the governing body of TV and broadcasts asked TV stations not to use NBA, the shortened form of the National Basketball Association, during live broadcasts or on news shows.

It said the media should use the Chinese characters of Mei Guo Nan Zi Zhi Ye Lan Qiu Lian Sai, the verbatim translation of NBA. I think it is meant to let everybody know what the game is.

The intention is good. But the actual situation is that you don't have to know it is Mei Guo Nan Zi Zhi Ye Lan Qiu Lian Sai, you only need to know NBA. For those born after the 1980s, if you don't know NBA, you are out of the loop.

Today, people watch NBA, talk about NBA and wear NBA. For some, it has become part of their life.

I got introduced to the NBA when I was studying at the University of Hawaii, but the first basketball team I started to follow was actually an NCAA outfit, the Georgetown Hoyas in 1984, the team posted a 34-3 overall record en route to its second Big East regular-season title, third Big East Tournament win and the NCAA national championship. Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, the nation's two most celebrated centers, faced off against each other for that national title.

You may call me a fair-weather fan, because then I started to follow the mighty Boston Celtics with the Big Three — Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale — before getting glued to the TV, even during work hours, to watch Michael Jordan and Dennis Rodman.

Like many fans, I kind of lost interest in the NBA after the retirement of Jordan. However, my passion for the league was rejuvenated when Yao Ming joined the Houston Rockets.

Watching Yao play has been a joy for me over eight of the past nine years (Yao did not play in the 2009-2010 season due to a broken foot), regardless of whether he scored 40 points or six.

I believe Yao's contributions to the game are still under-appreciated. He is not only lifting the game as a tall center but also working as an ambassador, taking two cultures that couldn't be more different and bringing them together through the love of the same sport.

You could be a Jazz fan, a Lakers fan, but you have to appreciate what the Chinese giant has done for the sport of basketball. Yao is said to be one of the most respectful guys in NBA — leading to even Shaq calling him a "classy guy".

And the good news is that he is returning to the Rockets, a huge marketing product for general manager Daryl Morey and the Yao camp, who both have the mammoth Chinese market in mind.

The Chinese market does not solely belong to Yao. NBA stars often come here as NBA China tries to promote the game in the world's populous nation.

The biggest name to reach our shores, so far, is the Orlando Magic's star center, Dwight Howard, who was in Beijing recently for the Amway Nutrilite Jr NBA City Camp. He is the seventh NBA player to visit China this year after Aaron Brooks, Bruce Bowen, Derek Fisher, Andre Iguodala, Tyreke Evans and Robert Horry. Former NBA star Chris Mullin also passed by.

More are coming, as well. Steve Nash, Brandon Jennings, Chuck Hayes and Baron Davis will touch down here for the Yao Ming Charity Game on July 26. Chinese sports brand Anta will bring over Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant's China trip, if it comes through, will be the daddy of them all.

Question: How popular has the game become here since the then-Washington Bullets traveled to China in 1979 and played two exhibition games against the Chinese national team?

Answer: There are more than 300 million people playing basketball in China now. Recent surveys show 83 percent of Chinese males aged from 15-24 said they were NBA fans, more than 40 percent said basketball was their favorite sport to play and four of their top five athletes were NBA players.

NBA games are watched by more than 30 million viewers per week in China; NBA.com/China averages more than three million page views per day and NBA merchandise is sold in more than 20,000 locations throughout the country.

The author is China Daily's chief sports commentator, who has been following China's sports over the past 26 years. He can be reached at yangxinwei@chinadaily.com.cn.