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Former NBA player Yao Ming may have been a star on the basketball court, but he moves onto an unfamiliar arena - the private equity arena - following reports he has bought and rebranded Chongqing Yufu Assets Management Group.
前美国职业篮球联赛(NBA)球员姚明在篮球场上或许是个明星，但现在他开始涉足私募股权这个他并不熟悉的领域了。有报道称，姚明接手了一家基金管理公司，并将公司更名为重庆渝富弘远股权投资基金管理公司(Chongqing Yufu Assets Management Group)。
He joins a club of other celebrities that have also moved into the private equity world, including U2 singer Bono, who co-founded media, entertainment and technology investment firm Elevation Partners, and former NFL quarterback Steve Young, now a managing partner and co-founder of Huntsman Gay Global Capital.
其他明星也有移师私募股权业的，如U2乐队主唱波诺(Bono)联合创立了专注于媒体、娱乐和科技投资的私募股权基金Elevation Partners，美国国家橄榄球联盟(NFL)前四分卫杨(Steve Young)联合创立了私募股权基金Huntsman Gay Global Capital，现为该基金执行合伙人。姚明现在也加入了这些明星的队伍。
Although athletes and celebrities may not always have financial background, they do bring star power, especially when it comes to fundraising.
虽然运动员和明星可能并不总是拥有金融背景，但他们确实会带来一定的明星效应，特别是在筹款方面。
'One thing famous sports and music figures bring to a private equity firm is brand awareness, which certainly cannot hurt fundraising,' said Bruno Roy, managing partner of McKinsey & Co.'s office in Beijing. 'Everyone will take a meeting with Bono, Steve Young and Yao Ming.'
麦肯锡(McKinsey & Co.)驻北京的执行合伙人罗颐(Bruno Roy)说，知名运动员和音乐人给私募股权公司带来的一大好处就是品牌知名度，这对筹款来说当然是有百益无一害的，每个人都想找机会与波诺、杨和姚明见面。
Indeed, the mere mention of Mr. Yao could also be good for his recently-bought firm's deal sourcing, said Alberto Forchielli, a founding partner of Mandarin Capital Partners. Mr Fortchielli noted, however, that '[Mr. Yao] alone can spot good opportunities, but can still lose money if the deal is poorly executed.'
曼达林基金(Mandarin Capital Partner)创始合伙人福尔基耶利(Alberto Forchielli)说，对他近期买下的这家机构来说，仅仅是提到姚明这个名字就有可能为招揽业务带来好处。不过他也指出，单凭姚明一人是可以发现好机遇，但如果项目执行得不好，可能仍会亏钱。
And while Mr. Yao may have a strong track record on the court, all that's going to matter is his track record in the private equity world.
虽然姚明在球场上可能有着辉煌的过往，但现在最重要的是他在私募股权界的业绩记录。
'If he can grasp deal structuring concepts quickly and can intelligently participate in discussions, he could be a tremendous asset,' said one Beijing-based venture capital investor, noting that other celebrities have a history of mixed results when it comes to investing.
一位驻北京的风投人士说，如果姚明能很快领会交易架构的概念并且能理智地参与相关讨论，他可能会成为私募基金的一笔宝贵财富。这位投资人指出，其他明星在投资方面的表现有好有坏。
On top of this, returns from sport-related deals are 'generally lousy,' said Mr. Forchielli, highlighting that 'private equity always stays away from them.' He added that in European soccer, investors have lost money 'big time,' pointing to this month's sale of Manchester United, which only raised $300 million from an expected $500 million.
福尔基耶利说，与运动有关的交易回报一般都很糟糕。他强调说，私募股权总是离这些交易远远的。他还说，投资者在欧洲足球那里亏了大钱。本月，英国足球俱乐部曼彻斯特联队(Manchester United)上市仅筹到了3亿美元，而他们本来期望能筹到5亿美元。
Although the jury is still out on Mr. Yao's move into the private equity world, 'his experience in dealing with locker room dynamics while at the Houston Rockets will serve him well when dealing with fractious corporate boards,' said Tom Tsao, founder of Shanghai-based Gobi Partners.
虽然姚明进军私募股权业结果如何现在还不得而知，但位于上海的风投企业戈壁合伙人有限公司(Gobi Partners)创始人曹嘉泰说，姚明在休斯顿火箭队(Houston Rockets)衣帽间里与人打交道的经验应该会让他有能力与那些难对付的公司董事会打交道。
'He's got personal experience in building a global brand [his own] that many companies will find useful. And if he can dunk over Shaq, I'm sure he can handle a stubborn CEO,' said Mr. Tsao.
曹嘉泰说，姚明在打造他个人全球品牌方面有其独到的经验，很多公司会发现这一点很有用，如果他能盖大鲨鱼的帽，我相信他也能与固执的CEO们周旋。
News of Mr. Yao's move was previously reported by Reuters.
姚明进军私募股权业的消息此前路透社(Reuters)曾报道过。
