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What: “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel”

Where: HBO, tonight, 8

Lesley Visser faced a tall order for her first assignment as a correspondent for HBO’s “Real Sports.” She was sent to China to interview 7-foot-6 Yao Ming, who could be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

Yao is not to be confused with Wang Zhizhi, a 7-1 Chinese player reportedly close to signing with the Dallas Mavericks.

HBO, in this edition of “Real Sports,” which first aired Monday, provides a good look at Yao, a surprisingly agile player who has a nice shooting touch.

But there are several hurdles to clear before he can become eligible for the NBA. Nike, former congressman Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), and agent Bill Duffy of Walnut are involved in the effort to bring Yao to the United States, where he could make considerably more than the $20,000 a year he now makes.

Duffy tells Visser he expects things to be worked out.

One problem derives from Yao’s team, the Shanghai Sharks. Co-owner Pei Geng Yuan tells Visser: “Our club has developed Yao Ming. If he wants to go the States to play, he must also consider the needs of our club.”

Yao, who speaks some English, says through an interpreter: “I’ve read books and watched TV about the States, but firsthand experience is different. . . . But I would not go if I did not have the confidence.”

The other stories in this program deal with the Oklahoma State tragedy, Tennessee women’s Coach Pat Summitt and Division III Cooper Union in New York City.