Wang Zhizhi of the
Dallas
Mavericks, the first Chinese player in the
National Basketball Association
(NBA), will be honored with a set of legal tender stamps that will
be unveiled for the first time in New York on Thursday, it was
announced by the NBA and the
Inter-Governmental Philatelic
Corporation (IGPC) today.
This tribute to Wang is part of the Legends of Sports postage stamp
series issued by the government of Liberia and produced by IGPC,
the world's largest postal agency that represents more than 70
countries and regions in the world.
In
recognition of his contributions to the sport of basketball and as
China's first NBA player, Wang will be immortalized on a
commemorative series of postage stamps that are legal tender and
valid for postage globally.
"It is indeed a great honor," said Wang, "Not everyone is
privileged to have a stamp made for them."
Liberia has a long tradition of issuing postage stamps to honor the
achievements of major international athletes such as Jesse Owens,
Muhammad Ali, Pele, Joe Frazier, Floyd Patterson and George
Foreman.
Wang, one of China's all-time greatest basketball players, became
the first player from China to play in the NBA when he joined the
Dallas Mavericks in April 2001. He was selected by the Mavericks in
the second round of the 1999 NBA Draft with the 38th pick.
Wang earned the attention of the basketball world with excellent
performances in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. In his first NBA
season, he averaged 4.8 points, 1.4 rebounds in 7.6 minutes per
game and scored a total of 24 points in five games.
Wang is one of the 51 international players from 30 countries and
regions in the NBA.
"The Ministry of Post and Telecommunications of the Government of
Liberia is excited by this unique stamp tribute to celebrate
humanity and to highlight the achievements of great athletes across
the globe," said Yossi Malamud, the IGPC representative for
Liberia.
The stamps will be available for sale across Liberia where postage
stamps are sold and through stamp dealers and traders around the
world starting January 3, 2002.
IGPC is assisting its members in the administration of their postal
agencies, postage stamp design, production and worldwide
distribution, thus creating unique annual postal programs for its
clients.
As
the leader of the postal industry, IGPC is the first to honor famed
icons such as Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jordan as
well as many other famous athletes, entertainers, scientists and
authors on legal tender.
(China
Daily January 2, 2002)