Yao Ming
Encyclopedia
Yao Ming (born September 12, 1980) is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets
of the National Basketball Association
(NBA). As of the 2010–11 NBA season
, he was the tallest player in the NBA, at .
Yao, who was born in Shanghai, started playing for the Shanghai Sharks
as a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association
(CBA), winning a championship in his final year. After negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, Yao was selected by the Houston Rockets
as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft
. Yao was selected to start for the Western Conference
in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team
five times. He reached the NBA Playoffs
four times, and the Rockets won a first-round series in the 2009 postseason
, their first playoff series victory since 1997. However, Yao missed 250 regular-season games due to injury in his final six seasons.
He is one of China's best-known athletes, with sponsorships with several major companies. His rookie year in the NBA was the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao
, and he co-wrote, along with NBA analyst Ric Bucher
, an autobiography titled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds.
Yao first tried out for the Shanghai Sharks
junior team of the Chinese Basketball Association
(CBA) when he was 13 years old, and practiced for 10 hours a day to make the team. After playing with the junior team for four years, Yao joined the senior team of the Sharks at age 17, and averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds
a game in his rookie season
. However, his next season was cut short when he broke his foot for the second time in his career, which Yao said decreased his jumping ability by four to six inches (10 to 15 cm). The Sharks made the finals of the CBA in Yao’s third season
and again the next year
, but lost both times to the Bayi Rockets
. When Wang Zhizhi
left the Bayi Rockets to become the first NBA player from China the following year
, the Sharks finally won their first CBA championship. During the playoffs in his final year with Shanghai, Yao averaged 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 76.6% from the field, and made all 21 of his shots during one game in the finals.
by Li Yaomin, the deputy general manager of the Shanghai Sharks. Li also influenced Yao to sign a contract for Evergreen Sports Inc. to serve as his agent. The agreement entitled Evergreen to 33% of Yao's earnings, but the contract was later determined to be invalid.
When Yao decided to enter the 2002 NBA Draft
, a group of advisers was formed that came to be known as “Team Yao”. The team consisted of Yao’s negotiator, Erik Zhang; his NBA agent, Bill Duffy; his Chinese agent, Lu Hao; University of Chicago
economics professor John Huizinga; and the vice president for marketing at BDA Sports Management, Bill Sanders. Yao was widely predicted to be picked number one overall. However, some teams were concerned about Yao's NBA eligibility due to uncertainty over whether the CBA would let Yao play in the United States.
Shortly after Wang Zhizhi refused to return to China to play for the national team and was subsequently banned from playing for China, the CBA stipulated that Yao would have to return to play for the national team. They also said they would not let him go to the United States unless the Houston Rockets
would take him first overall. After assurances from Team Yao that the Rockets would draft Yao with their number one pick, the CBA gave permission on the morning of the draft for Yao to play in the U.S. When the Rockets selected Yao with the first pick of the draft, he became the first international player ever to be selected first overall without having previously played U.S. college basketball
.
s. Before the season, several commentators, including Bill Simmons
and Dick Vitale
, predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA, and Charles Barkley
said he would "kiss[ Kenny Smith
's] ass" if Yao scored more than 19 points in one of his rookie-season games. Yao played his first NBA game against the Indiana Pacers
, scoring no points and grabbing two rebounds, and scored his first NBA basket against the Denver Nuggets
. In his first seven games, he averaged only 14 minutes and 4 points, but on November 17, he scored 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line against the Lakers. Barkley made good on his bet by kissing the buttock of a donkey purchased by Smith for the occasion (Smith's "ass").
In Yao's first game in Miami on December 16, 2002, the Heat
passed out 8,000 fortune cookie
s, an Asian stereotype
. Yao was not angry with the promotion because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese. In an earlier interview in 2000, Yao said he had never seen a fortune cookie in China. He guessed it must have been an American invention.
Before Yao’s first meeting with Shaquille O'Neal
on January 17, 2003, O'Neal said, "Tell Yao Ming, Ching chong
-yang-wah-ah-soh", prompting accusations of racism. O'Neal denied that his comments were racist, and said he was only joking. Yao also said he believed O'Neal was joking, but he said a lot of Asians
would not see the humor. In the game, Yao scored six points and blocked O'Neal twice in the opening minutes, and made a game-sealing dunk with 10 seconds left in overtime. Yao finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks; O'Neal recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 0 blocks.
The NBA began offering All-Star ballots in three languages—English, Spanish and Chinese—for fan voting of the starters for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game
. Yao was voted to start for the West over O'Neal, who was coming off three consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards. Yao received nearly a quarter million more votes than O'Neal, and he became the first rookie to start in the All-Star Game since Grant Hill
in 1995
.
Yao finished his rookie season averaging 13.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game, and was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award
voting to Amar'e Stoudemire, and a unanimous pick for the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. He was also voted the Sporting News Rookie of the Year, and won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award.
Before the start of Yao's sophomore season, Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich
resigned due to health issues, and long-time New York Knicks
head coach Jeff Van Gundy
was brought in. After Van Gundy began focusing the offense on Yao, Yao averaged career highs in points and rebounds for the season, and had a career-high 41 points and 7 assists in a triple-overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks
in February 2004. He was also voted to be the starting center for the Western Conference
in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game
for the second straight year. Yao finished the season averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. The Rockets made the playoffs for the first time in Yao's career, claiming the seventh seed in the Western Conference. In the first round, however, the Los Angeles Lakers
eliminated Houston in five games. Yao averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first playoff series.
In the summer of 2004, the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady
from the Orlando Magic
in a seven-player trade that also sent Steve Francis
and Cuttino Mobley
to Orlando. Although Yao said that Francis and Mobley had "helped [him] in every way [his] first two seasons", he added, "I'm excited about playing with Tracy McGrady. He can do some amazing things." After the trade, it was predicted that the Rockets would be title contenders. Both McGrady and Yao were voted to start in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game
, and Yao broke the record previously held by Michael Jordan
for most All-Star votes, with 2,558,278 total votes. The Rockets won 51 games and finished fifth in the West, and made the playoffs
for the second consecutive year, where they faced the Dallas Mavericks
. The Rockets won the first two games in Dallas, and Yao made 13 of 14 shots in the second game, the best shooting performance in the playoffs in Rockets history. However the Rockets lost four of their last five games and lost Game 7 by 40 points, the largest Game 7 deficit in NBA history. Yao's final averages for the series were 21.4 points on 65% shooting and 7.7 rebounds.
in the big toe on his left foot, and surgery was performed on the toe on December 18, 2005. Despite missing 21 games while recovering, Yao again had the most fan votes to start the 2006 NBA All-Star Game
.
In 25 games after the All-Star break, Yao averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.7% from the field and 87.8% at the free-throw line. His final averages in 57 games were 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. It was the first time that he ended the season with a so-called "20/10" average. However, Tracy McGrady played only 47 games in the season, missing time because of back spasms. Yao and McGrady played only 31 games together, and the Rockets did not make the playoffs, winning only 34 games. With only four games left in the season, Yao suffered another injury in a game against the Utah Jazz
on April 10, 2006, which left him with a broken bone in his left foot. The injury required six months of rest.
Early into his fifth season, Yao was injured again, this time breaking his right knee on December 23, 2006, while attempting to block a shot. Up to that point he had been averaging 26.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, and had been mentioned as an NBA MVP candidate. Yao was unable to play in what would have been his fifth All-Star game; he was medically cleared to play on March 4, 2007, after missing 34 games.
Despite Yao's absence, the Rockets made the playoffs with the home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round. The Rockets won the first two games, but then lost four of five games and were eliminated in Game 7 at home; Yao scored 29 points—15 in the fourth quarter. Although he averaged 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds for the series, Yao said afterwards "I didn't do my job". At the end of the season, Yao was selected to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career, after being selected to the All-NBA Third Team twice.
On May 18, 2007, only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed as head coach. Three days later, the Rockets signed former Sacramento Kings
coach Rick Adelman
, who was thought to focus more on offense than the defensive-minded Van Gundy.
On November 9, 2007, Yao played against fellow Chinese NBA and Milwaukee Bucks
player Yi Jianlian
for the first time. The game, which the Rockets won 104–88, was broadcast on 19 networks in China, and was watched by over 200 million people in China alone, making it one of the most-watched NBA games in history. In the 2008 NBA All-Star Game
, Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference. Before the All-Star weekend, the Rockets had won eight straight games, and after the break, they took their win streak to 12 games. On February 26, 2008, however, it was reported that Yao would miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture
in his left foot. He missed the 2008 NBA Playoffs
, but he did not miss the 2008 Summer Olympics
at Beijing, China in August. After Yao's injury, the Rockets stretched their winning streak to 22 games, the second-longest in NBA history. Yao underwent a successful operation on March 3, which placed screws in his foot to strengthen the bone, and recovery time was estimated at four months. Yao's final averages in 55 games were 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks a game.
The next season
, Yao played 77 games, his first full season since the 2004–05 season, and averaged 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds, while shooting 54.8% from the field, and a career-high 86.6% from the free throw line. Despite McGrady suffering a season-ending injury in February, the Rockets finished with 53 wins and the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Facing the Portland Trail Blazers
in the first round, Yao finished with 24 points on 9 of 9 shooting in the first game, and the Rockets won 108–81, in Portland. The Rockets won all their games in Houston, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and the first time in Yao's career.
The Rockets faced the Lakers in the second round, and Yao scored 28 points, with 8 points in the final four minutes, to lead the Rockets to a 100–92 win in Los Angeles. However, the Rockets lost their next two games, and Yao was diagnosed with a sprained ankle after Game 3. A follow-up test revealed a hairline fracture
in his left foot, and he was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. In reaction, Yao said the injury, which did not require surgery, was "better than last year". However, follow-up analysis has indicated that the injury could be career threatening. The Yao-less Rockets went on to win Game 4 against the Lakers to even the series 2–2. The Rockets eventually lost the series in seven games.
In July 2009, Yao discussed the injury with his doctors, and the Rockets applied for a disabled player exception, an exception to the NBA Salary Cap
which grants the injured player's team money to sign a free agent. The Rockets were granted the exception, and used approximately $5.7 million on free agent Trevor Ariza
. After weeks of consulting, it was decided that Yao would undergo surgery in order to repair the broken bone in his left foot. He did not play the entire 2009–10 season
.
For the 2010–11 season
, the Rockets said they would limit Yao to 24 minutes a game, with no plan to play him on back-to-back nights. Their goal was to keep Yao healthy in the long term. On December 16, 2010, it was announced that Yao had developed a stress fracture in his left ankle, related to an older injury, and would miss the rest of the season. In January 2011, he was voted as the Western Conference starting center for the 2011 All-Star Game
for the eighth time in nine seasons. Injured All-Stars are usually required to attend the All-Star functions and to be introduced at the game, but Yao was not in Los Angeles because of his rehabilitation schedule after his surgery. Yao's contract with the Rockets expired at the end of the season, and he became a free agent.
. Reacting to Yao's retirement, NBA commissioner David Stern
said Yao was a "bridge between Chinese and American fans" and that he had "a wonderful mixture of talent, dedication, humanitarian aspirations and a sense of humor." Shaquille O'Neal said Yao "was very agile. He could play inside, he could play outside, and if he didn't have those injuries he could've been up there in the top five centers to ever play the game."
Yao was nominated by a member of the Chinese media for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor to the game. He would have been eligible for induction as early as 2012, but Yao felt it was too soon and requested that the Hall of Fame delay consideration of the nomination. The Hall said it was Yao's decision when the process would be restarted.
, and he was dubbed, together with 7 feet (2.1 m) teammates Wang Zhizhi
and Mengke Bateer
, "The Walking Great Wall". During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag
during the opening ceremony
, which he said was a “long dream come true”. He then vowed to abstain from shaving his beard for half a year unless the Chinese national basketball team made it into the quarter-finals of the 2004 Olympics Basketball Tournament
. After Yao scored 39 points in a win against New Zealand
, China lost 58–83, 57–82, and 52–89 against Spain
, Argentina
and Italy
respectively. In the final group game, however, a 67–66 win over the reigning 2002 FIBA World Champions
Serbia and Montenegro
moved them into the quarterfinals. Yao scored 27 points and had 13 rebounds, and he hit two free throws with 28 seconds left that proved to be the winning margin. He averaged 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.
. He was also named the MVP of all three tournaments.
. However, he recovered before the start of the tournament, and in the last game of the preliminary round, he had 36 points and 10 rebounds in a win against Slovenia
to lead China into the Round of 16. In the first knockout round, however, China was defeated by eventual finalist Greece
. Yao's final averages were 25.3 points, the most in the tournament, and 9.0 rebounds a game, which was fourth overall.
in Beijing, "It would be the biggest loss in my career to right now". However, he returned to play with the Chinese national team on July 17, 2008. On August 6, Yao carried the Olympic Flame
into Tiananmen Square
, as part of the Olympic torch relay
. He also carried the Chinese flag
and led his country's delegation
during the opening ceremony
. Yao scored the first basket of the game, a three-pointer, in China's opening game against the eventual gold medal-winning United States.
"I was just really happy to make that shot," Yao said after the Americans’ 101–70 victory. “It was the first score in our Olympic campaign here at home and I’ll always remember it. It represents that we can keep our heads up in the face of really tough odds."
Following an overtime defeat to Spain
, Yao scored 30 points in a win over Angola
, and 25 points in a three-point win against Germany
, which clinched China's place in the quarterfinals. However, China lost to Lithuania
in the quarterfinals by 26 points, eliminating them from the tournament. Yao's 19 points a game were the second-highest in the Olympics, and his averages of 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game were third overall.
| align="left"| 2002–03
| align="left"| Houston
| 82||72||29.0||.498||.500||.811||8.2||1.7||.4||1.8||13.5
|-
| align="left"| 2003–04
| align="left"| Houston
| 82||82||32.8||.522||.000||.809||9.0||1.5||.3||1.9||17.5
|-
| align="left"| 2004–05
| align="left"| Houston
| 80||80||30.6||.552||.000||.783||8.4||.8||.4||2.0||18.3
|-
| align="left"| 2005–06
| align="left"| Houston
| 57||57||34.2||.519||.000||.853||10.2||1.5||.5||1.6||22.3
|-
| align="left"| 2006–07
| align="left"| Houston
| 48||48||33.8||.516||.000||.862||9.4||2.0||.3||2.0||25.0
|-
| align="left"| 2007–08
| align="left"| Houston
| 55||55||37.2||.507||.000||.850||10.8||2.3||.4||2.0||22.0
|-
| align="left"| 2008–09
| align="left"| Houston
| 77||77||33.6||.548||1.000||.866||9.9||1.8||.4||2.0||19.7
|-
| align="left"| 2010–11
| align="left"| Houston
| 5||5||18.2||.486||.000||.938||5.4||.8||.0||1.6||10.2
|-
| align="left"| Career
| align="left"|
| 486||476||32.5||.524||.200||.833||9.2||1.6||.4||1.9||19.0
|-
| align="left"| All-Star
| align="left"|
| 5||5||18.2||.529||.000||.667||4.2||1.6||.2||.2||8.0
| align="left"| 2003–04
| align="left"| Houston
| 5||5||37.0||.456||.000||.765||7.4||1.8||.4||1.4||15.0
|-
| align="left"| 2004–05
| align="left"| Houston
| 7||7||31.4||.655||.000||.727||7.7||.7||.3||2.7||21.4
|-
| align="left"| 2006–07
| align="left"| Houston
| 7||7||37.1||.440||.000||.880||10.3||.9||.1||.7||25.1
|-
| align="left"| 2008–09
| align="left"| Houston
| 9||9||35.9||.545||.000||.902||10.9||1.0||.4||1.1||17.1
|-
| align="left"| Career
| align="left"|
| 28||28||35.3||.519||.000||.833||9.3||1.0||.3||1.5||19.8
Yao is married to Ye Li
, a women's basketball player for China. He met her when he was 17 years old. Ye was not fond of Yao at first, but finally accepted him after he gave her the team pins he had collected during the 2000 Summer Olympics
. She is the only woman he has ever dated. Their relationship became public when they appeared together during the 2004 Olympics closing ceremony. On August 6, 2007, Yao married Ye in a ceremony attended by close friends and family and closed to the media.
In 2004, Yao co-wrote an autobiography with ESPN
sportswriter Ric Bucher
, entitled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds. In the same year, he was also the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao
, which focuses on his NBA rookie year. The film is narrated by his friend and former interpreter, Colin Pine, who stayed with Yao during Yao's rookie year, and interpreted for him for three years. In 2005, former Newsweek
writer Brook Larmer published a book entitled Operation Yao Ming, in which he said that Yao's parents were convinced to marry each other so that they would produce a dominant athlete, and that during Yao's childhood, he was given special treatment to help him become a great basketball player. In 2009, Yao provided the voice for a character of a Chinese animated film The Magic Aster
, released on June 19.
On May 21, 2010, the couple's first child—a daughter named Yao Qinlei, whose English name is Amy—was born in Houston.
Yao enrolled in the Antai College of Economics & Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
in 2011. He is taking a tailored degree program with mostly one-on-one lectures to avoid being a distraction on campus.
. As of 2009, he had led Forbes'
Chinese celebrities list
in income and popularity for six straight years, earning US$51 million (CN¥
357 million) in 2008. A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals, as he is under contract with several major companies to endorse their products. He was signed by Nike
until the end of his rookie season. When Nike decided not to renew his contract, he signed with Reebok
. He also had a deal with Pepsi
, and he successfully sued Coca-Cola in 2003 when they used his image on their bottles while promoting the national team. However, he has since signed with Coca-Cola for the 2008 Olympics. His other deals include partnerships with Visa, Apple, Garmin
, and McDonald’s.
Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career, including the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program. In the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao hosted a telethon, which raised 300,000 U.S. dollars to help stop the spread of SARS
. In September 2007, he held an auction that raised 965,000 U.S. dollars (6.75 million yuan), and competed in a charity basketball match to raise money for underprivileged children in China. He was joined by fellow NBA stars Steve Nash
, Carmelo Anthony
, and Baron Davis
, and movie star Jackie Chan
. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
, Yao donated $2 million to relief work, and created a foundation to help rebuild schools destroyed in the earthquake.
On July 16, 2009, Yao bought his former club team, the Shanghai Sharks
, which were on the verge of not being able to play the next season of the Chinese Basketball Association
due to financial troubles.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
(NBA). As of the 2010–11 NBA season
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
, he was the tallest player in the NBA, at .
Yao, who was born in Shanghai, started playing for the Shanghai Sharks
Shanghai Sharks
The Shanghai Sharks , is a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai, China. Steven Kevelam is the first to corporate a good sponsorship, there is often an additional name used: for many years they were also known as the Shanghai Dongfang Sharks , but now are known as Shanghai Xiyang...
as a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
(CBA), winning a championship in his final year. After negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, Yao was selected by the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft
2002 NBA Draft
The 2002 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2002 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from non-North...
. Yao was selected to start for the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team
All-NBA Team
The All-NBA Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor bestowed on the best players in the league following every NBA season. The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The team has been selected in every season of the...
five times. He reached the NBA Playoffs
NBA Playoffs
The National Basketball Association Playoffs is a best-of-seven elimination tournament among sixteen teams in the Eastern Conference and Western Conference , ultimately deciding the final four teams who will play in the NBA Conference Finals.-Format:Following the NBA regular season, eight teams in...
four times, and the Rockets won a first-round series in the 2009 postseason
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
, their first playoff series victory since 1997. However, Yao missed 250 regular-season games due to injury in his final six seasons.
He is one of China's best-known athletes, with sponsorships with several major companies. His rookie year in the NBA was the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao
The Year of the Yao
The Year of the Yao is a 2004 documentary film telling the first year of basketball player Yao Ming in the United States. The film is narrated by his friend and former interpreter Colin Pine, who stayed with Yao during Yao's rookie year, and interpreted for him for three years....
, and he co-wrote, along with NBA analyst Ric Bucher
Ric Bucher
Ric Bucher is an NBA analyst for ESPN and ESPN.com. Bucher is also a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and a columnist for ESPN.com.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bucher is a 1983 graduate of Dartmouth College, where he played four years on the varsity soccer team. Bucher has covered the NBA since...
, an autobiography titled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds.
Early life and CBA career
Yao is the only child of 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Yao Zhiyuan and 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) Fang Fengdi, both of whom were former professional basketball players. At 11 pounds (5 kg), Yao weighed more than twice as much as the average Chinese newborn, and grew to be 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) by age ten. At that age, he was examined by sports doctors, who predicted he would grow to 7 feet 3 inches (2.20 m). He began playing basketball at age nine, and went to a junior sports school at the same age.Yao first tried out for the Shanghai Sharks
Shanghai Sharks
The Shanghai Sharks , is a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai, China. Steven Kevelam is the first to corporate a good sponsorship, there is often an additional name used: for many years they were also known as the Shanghai Dongfang Sharks , but now are known as Shanghai Xiyang...
junior team of the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
(CBA) when he was 13 years old, and practiced for 10 hours a day to make the team. After playing with the junior team for four years, Yao joined the senior team of the Sharks at age 17, and averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds
Rebound (basketball)
A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. Rebounds in basketball are a routine part in the game, as all possessions change after a shot is successfully made...
a game in his rookie season
CBA 1997-98
The 1997-98 CBA season is the 3rd CBA season.The season ran from November 23, 1997 to March 29, 1998. Ji'nan Army and Zhejiang Squirrels were promoted from the Second Division...
. However, his next season was cut short when he broke his foot for the second time in his career, which Yao said decreased his jumping ability by four to six inches (10 to 15 cm). The Sharks made the finals of the CBA in Yao’s third season
CBA 1999-00
The 1999–2000 CBA season is the 5th CBA season. The season ran from November 21, 1999 to March 19, 2000. Nanjing Army Thunder and Hubei Mailyard were promoted from the Second Division...
and again the next year
CBA 2000-01
The 2000–01 CBA season is the 6th CBA season. The season ran from November 18, 2000 to March 18, 2001. Ji'nan Army and Shenyang Army were promoted from the Second Division...
, but lost both times to the Bayi Rockets
Bayi Rockets
Bayi Shuanglu Rockets or Bayi Rockets or Bayi Army Rockets or Bayi Shuanglu are a basketball team in the South Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Ningbo, Zhejiang...
. When Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi is a Chinese professional basketball player. He is a former player in the National Basketball Association.Wang is 214 cm tall. Wang's father Wang Weijun and mother Ren Huanzhen were both basketball players...
left the Bayi Rockets to become the first NBA player from China the following year
CBA 2001-02
The 2001–02 CBA season is the 7th CBA season. The season ran from December 8, 2001 to April 19, 2002. Shaanxi Kylins and Shenzhen Leopards were promoted from the Second Division. Taiwanese club Sina Lions joined CBA in this season. -Playoffs :...
, the Sharks finally won their first CBA championship. During the playoffs in his final year with Shanghai, Yao averaged 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 76.6% from the field, and made all 21 of his shots during one game in the finals.
Entering the NBA Draft
Yao was pressured to enter the NBA Draft in 19991999 NBA Draft
The 1999 NBA Draft was held on June 30, 1999 at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C. It was the first draft in which four players from the same college were picked in the first round, with Elton Brand , Trajan Langdon , Corey Maggette and William Avery being selected out of Duke University...
by Li Yaomin, the deputy general manager of the Shanghai Sharks. Li also influenced Yao to sign a contract for Evergreen Sports Inc. to serve as his agent. The agreement entitled Evergreen to 33% of Yao's earnings, but the contract was later determined to be invalid.
When Yao decided to enter the 2002 NBA Draft
2002 NBA Draft
The 2002 NBA Draft was held on June 26, 2002 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players from non-North...
, a group of advisers was formed that came to be known as “Team Yao”. The team consisted of Yao’s negotiator, Erik Zhang; his NBA agent, Bill Duffy; his Chinese agent, Lu Hao; University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
economics professor John Huizinga; and the vice president for marketing at BDA Sports Management, Bill Sanders. Yao was widely predicted to be picked number one overall. However, some teams were concerned about Yao's NBA eligibility due to uncertainty over whether the CBA would let Yao play in the United States.
Shortly after Wang Zhizhi refused to return to China to play for the national team and was subsequently banned from playing for China, the CBA stipulated that Yao would have to return to play for the national team. They also said they would not let him go to the United States unless the Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
would take him first overall. After assurances from Team Yao that the Rockets would draft Yao with their number one pick, the CBA gave permission on the morning of the draft for Yao to play in the U.S. When the Rockets selected Yao with the first pick of the draft, he became the first international player ever to be selected first overall without having previously played U.S. college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
.
Initial years (2002–2005)
Yao did not participate in the Rockets' pre-season training camp, instead playing for China in the 2002 FIBA World Championship2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...
s. Before the season, several commentators, including Bill Simmons
Bill Simmons
William J. "Bill" Simmons III is a sports columnist, author, and podcaster. He currently writes columns and hosts podcasts for Grantland.com, which is affiliated with ESPN.com. He is a former writer for ESPN The Magazine and Jimmy Kimmel Live!...
and Dick Vitale
Dick Vitale
Richard J. "Dick" Vitale , also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well-known as a college basketball broadcaster and for the enthusiastic and colorful remarks he makes during games. He is known for his...
, predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA, and Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley
Charles Wade Barkley is a former American professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Sir Charles" and "The Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards...
said he would "kiss
Kenny Smith
Kenneth "The Jet" Smith is a retired National Basketball Association player and current TV basketball analyst, primarily for Inside the NBA on TNT.-Early life:...
's] ass" if Yao scored more than 19 points in one of his rookie-season games. Yao played his first NBA game against the Indiana Pacers
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They are members of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association...
, scoring no points and grabbing two rebounds, and scored his first NBA basket against the Denver Nuggets
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are a professional basketball team based in Denver, Colorado. They play in the National Basketball Association . They were founded as the Denver Rockets in 1967 as a charter franchise of the American Basketball Association, and became one of that league's more successful teams...
. In his first seven games, he averaged only 14 minutes and 4 points, but on November 17, he scored 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line against the Lakers. Barkley made good on his bet by kissing the buttock of a donkey purchased by Smith for the occasion (Smith's "ass").
In Yao's first game in Miami on December 16, 2002, the Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
passed out 8,000 fortune cookie
Fortune cookie
A fortune cookie is a crisp cookie usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and oil with a "fortune" wrapped inside. A "fortune" is a piece of paper with words of faux wisdom or a vague prophecy...
s, an Asian stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
. Yao was not angry with the promotion because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese. In an earlier interview in 2000, Yao said he had never seen a fortune cookie in China. He guessed it must have been an American invention.
Before Yao’s first meeting with Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
on January 17, 2003, O'Neal said, "Tell Yao Ming, Ching chong
Ching Chong
Ching chong is a pejorative term sometimes employed by speakers of the English language to mock people of Chinese ancestry, or other Asians who may look Chinese....
-yang-wah-ah-soh", prompting accusations of racism. O'Neal denied that his comments were racist, and said he was only joking. Yao also said he believed O'Neal was joking, but he said a lot of Asians
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
would not see the humor. In the game, Yao scored six points and blocked O'Neal twice in the opening minutes, and made a game-sealing dunk with 10 seconds left in overtime. Yao finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks; O'Neal recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 0 blocks.
The NBA began offering All-Star ballots in three languages—English, Spanish and Chinese—for fan voting of the starters for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game
2003 NBA All-Star Game
The 2003 NBA All-Star Game was the 52nd edition of the All-Star Game. The event was held at the Philips Arena in Atlanta. This was the last All-Star game to be hosted in an Eastern Conference arena until 2012.-Voting:...
. Yao was voted to start for the West over O'Neal, who was coming off three consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards. Yao received nearly a quarter million more votes than O'Neal, and he became the first rookie to start in the All-Star Game since Grant Hill
Grant Hill
Grant Hill is the name of:* Grant Hill, American basketball player* Grant Hill , Canadian politician* Grant Hill, San Diego, California, an urban neighboorhood in central San Diego...
in 1995
1995 NBA All-Star Game
The 1995 NBA All-Star Game was the 45th edition of the All-Star Game. The Western Conference won 139-112. The city of Phoenix hosted the event. Mitch Richmond of the Sacramento Kings was voted MVP of the game.-Eastern Conference:-Western Conference:...
.
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner receives the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named in honor of the Philadelphia Warriors head...
voting to Amar'e Stoudemire, and a unanimous pick for the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. He was also voted the Sporting News Rookie of the Year, and won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award.
Before the start of Yao's sophomore season, Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudy Tomjanovich
Rudolph Tomjanovich, Jr. , nicknamed Rudy T., is an American retired basketball player and coach who coached the Houston Rockets to two consecutive NBA championships. He is currently a scout for the Los Angeles Lakers.-Early life:...
resigned due to health issues, and long-time New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...
head coach Jeff Van Gundy
Jeff Van Gundy
Jeffrey William "Jeff" Van Gundy is a former American basketball head coach. He coached most recently with the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets...
was brought in. After Van Gundy began focusing the offense on Yao, Yao averaged career highs in points and rebounds for the season, and had a career-high 41 points and 7 assists in a triple-overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are part of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association .-The first years:...
in February 2004. He was also voted to be the starting center for the Western Conference
Western Conference (NBA)
Below is a list of current Western Conference NBA team rosters.-Western Conference:There are a total of 15 teams in the Western Conference. The current leading team of the Western conference are the Dallas Mavericks....
in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game
2004 NBA All-Star Game
The 2004 National Basketball Association All-Star Game was played on February 15, 2004 in front of an attendance of 19,662 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home of the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers...
for the second straight year. Yao finished the season averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. The Rockets made the playoffs for the first time in Yao's career, claiming the seventh seed in the Western Conference. In the first round, however, the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
eliminated Houston in five games. Yao averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first playoff series.
In the summer of 2004, the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady
Tracy Lamar McGrady, Jr., is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Detroit Pistons.Entering the league after graduating from high school, McGrady eventually became a seven-time All-Star. He led the league in scoring in 2003 and 2004. He has also played for the Toronto...
from the Orlando Magic
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association and are currently coached by Stan Van Gundy...
in a seven-player trade that also sent Steve Francis
Steve Francis
Steven D'Shawn Francis is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. He had also played for the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks...
and Cuttino Mobley
Cuttino Mobley
Cuttino Rashawn Mobley is a former American professional basketball shooting guard who played from 1998 to 2008 in the National Basketball Association .-Biography:...
to Orlando. Although Yao said that Francis and Mobley had "helped [him] in every way [his] first two seasons", he added, "I'm excited about playing with Tracy McGrady. He can do some amazing things." After the trade, it was predicted that the Rockets would be title contenders. Both McGrady and Yao were voted to start in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game
2005 NBA All-Star Game
The 2005 NBA All-Star Game was a major basketball game played on February 20, 2005 at Pepsi Center home of Denver Nuggets featuring the best players in the National Basketball Association as selected by fans and coaches....
, and Yao broke the record previously held by Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
for most All-Star votes, with 2,558,278 total votes. The Rockets won 51 games and finished fifth in the West, and made the playoffs
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
for the second consecutive year, where they faced the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
. The Rockets won the first two games in Dallas, and Yao made 13 of 14 shots in the second game, the best shooting performance in the playoffs in Rockets history. However the Rockets lost four of their last five games and lost Game 7 by 40 points, the largest Game 7 deficit in NBA history. Yao's final averages for the series were 21.4 points on 65% shooting and 7.7 rebounds.
Injury-plagued seasons (2005–2011)
After missing only two games out of 246 in his first three years of NBA play, Yao endured an extended period on the inactive list in his fourth season after developing osteomyelitisOsteomyelitis
Osteomyelitis simply means an infection of the bone or bone marrow...
in the big toe on his left foot, and surgery was performed on the toe on December 18, 2005. Despite missing 21 games while recovering, Yao again had the most fan votes to start the 2006 NBA All-Star Game
2006 NBA All-Star Game
The 2006 NBA All-Star Game was played on Sunday, February 19, 2006 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, home of the Houston Rockets. The game was the 55th annual All-Star game...
.
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz is a professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They are currently a part of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
on April 10, 2006, which left him with a broken bone in his left foot. The injury required six months of rest.
Early into his fifth season, Yao was injured again, this time breaking his right knee on December 23, 2006, while attempting to block a shot. Up to that point he had been averaging 26.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, and had been mentioned as an NBA MVP candidate. Yao was unable to play in what would have been his fifth All-Star game; he was medically cleared to play on March 4, 2007, after missing 34 games.
Despite Yao's absence, the Rockets made the playoffs with the home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round. The Rockets won the first two games, but then lost four of five games and were eliminated in Game 7 at home; Yao scored 29 points—15 in the fourth quarter. Although he averaged 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds for the series, Yao said afterwards "I didn't do my job". At the end of the season, Yao was selected to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career, after being selected to the All-NBA Third Team twice.
On May 18, 2007, only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed as head coach. Three days later, the Rockets signed former Sacramento Kings
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
coach Rick Adelman
Rick Adelman
Richard Leonard "Rick" Adelman is an American former basketball professional player and current basketball coach. He is the head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves of the NBA. Confirmation of the hiring came from the Timberwolves on September 13, 2011...
, who was thought to focus more on offense than the defensive-minded Van Gundy.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
player Yi Jianlian
Yi Jianlian
Yi Jianlian is a Chinese professional basketball player for the Guangdong Southern Tigers. He has also played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, and Washington Wizards. Yi played power forward for the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association in 2002 and...
for the first time. The game, which the Rockets won 104–88, was broadcast on 19 networks in China, and was watched by over 200 million people in China alone, making it one of the most-watched NBA games in history. In the 2008 NBA All-Star Game
2008 NBA All-Star Game
-Eastern Conference roster:The Boston Celtics, the team with the league's best record, came into New Orleans with three players. Kevin Garnett, top vote-getter in the league with 2,399,148 votes, was selected as a starter, while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen were selected as reserves by the coaches of...
, Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference. Before the All-Star weekend, the Rockets had won eight straight games, and after the break, they took their win streak to 12 games. On February 26, 2008, however, it was reported that Yao would miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture
Stress fracture
A stress fracture is one type of incomplete fracture in bones. It is caused by "unusual or repeated stress" and also heavy continuous weight on the ankle or leg...
in his left foot. He missed the 2008 NBA Playoffs
2008 NBA Playoffs
The 2008 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2007–08 season which ended with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics defeating the Western Conference champion Los Angeles Lakers 4–2....
, but he did not miss the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
at Beijing, China in August. After Yao's injury, the Rockets stretched their winning streak to 22 games, the second-longest in NBA history. Yao underwent a successful operation on March 3, which placed screws in his foot to strengthen the bone, and recovery time was estimated at four months. Yao's final averages in 55 games were 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks a game.
The next season
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
, Yao played 77 games, his first full season since the 2004–05 season, and averaged 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds, while shooting 54.8% from the field, and a career-high 86.6% from the free throw line. Despite McGrady suffering a season-ending injury in February, the Rockets finished with 53 wins and the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Facing the Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the...
in the first round, Yao finished with 24 points on 9 of 9 shooting in the first game, and the Rockets won 108–81, in Portland. The Rockets won all their games in Houston, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and the first time in Yao's career.
The Rockets faced the Lakers in the second round, and Yao scored 28 points, with 8 points in the final four minutes, to lead the Rockets to a 100–92 win in Los Angeles. However, the Rockets lost their next two games, and Yao was diagnosed with a sprained ankle after Game 3. A follow-up test revealed a hairline fracture
Stress fracture
A stress fracture is one type of incomplete fracture in bones. It is caused by "unusual or repeated stress" and also heavy continuous weight on the ankle or leg...
in his left foot, and he was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. In reaction, Yao said the injury, which did not require surgery, was "better than last year". However, follow-up analysis has indicated that the injury could be career threatening. The Yao-less Rockets went on to win Game 4 against the Lakers to even the series 2–2. The Rockets eventually lost the series in seven games.
In July 2009, Yao discussed the injury with his doctors, and the Rockets applied for a disabled player exception, an exception to the NBA Salary Cap
NBA Salary Cap
The NBA salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that National Basketball Association teams are allowed to pay their players. This limit is subject to a complex system of rules and exceptions and as such is considered a "soft" cap....
which grants the injured player's team money to sign a free agent. The Rockets were granted the exception, and used approximately $5.7 million on free agent Trevor Ariza
Trevor Ariza
Trevor Anthony Ariza is an American basketball player in the National Basketball Association who plays for the New Orleans Hornets. Primarily a small forward, he is listed at tall and 210 pounds.-Biography:...
. After weeks of consulting, it was decided that Yao would undergo surgery in order to repair the broken bone in his left foot. He did not play the entire 2009–10 season
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
.
For the 2010–11 season
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
, the Rockets said they would limit Yao to 24 minutes a game, with no plan to play him on back-to-back nights. Their goal was to keep Yao healthy in the long term. On December 16, 2010, it was announced that Yao had developed a stress fracture in his left ankle, related to an older injury, and would miss the rest of the season. In January 2011, he was voted as the Western Conference starting center for the 2011 All-Star Game
2011 NBA All-Star Game
The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home of the Los Angeles Clippers and the Los Angeles Lakers. This game was the 60th edition of the National Basketball Association All-Star Game and was...
for the eighth time in nine seasons. Injured All-Stars are usually required to attend the All-Star functions and to be introduced at the game, but Yao was not in Los Angeles because of his rehabilitation schedule after his surgery. Yao's contract with the Rockets expired at the end of the season, and he became a free agent.
Retirement
On July 20, 2011, Yao announced his retirement from basketball in a press conference in Shanghai. He cited injuries to his foot and ankle, including the third fracture to his left foot sustained near the end of 2010. His retirement sparked over 1.2 million comments on the Chinese social-networking site Sina WeiboSina Weibo
Sina Weibo is a Chinese microblogging website. Akin to a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook, it is one of the most popular sites in China, in use by well over 30% of Internet users, with a similar market penetration that Twitter has established in the USA...
. Reacting to Yao's retirement, NBA commissioner David Stern
David Stern
David Joel Stern is the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He started with the Association in 1966 as an outside counsel, joined the NBA in 1978 as General Counsel, and became the league's Executive Vice President in 1980. He became Commissioner in 1984 succeeding Larry O'Brien...
said Yao was a "bridge between Chinese and American fans" and that he had "a wonderful mixture of talent, dedication, humanitarian aspirations and a sense of humor." Shaquille O'Neal said Yao "was very agile. He could play inside, he could play outside, and if he didn't have those injuries he could've been up there in the top five centers to ever play the game."
Yao was nominated by a member of the Chinese media for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor to the game. He would have been eligible for induction as early as 2012, but Yao felt it was too soon and requested that the Hall of Fame delay consideration of the nomination. The Hall said it was Yao's decision when the process would be restarted.
International career
2000 and 2004 Olympics
Yao first played for China in the Summer Olympics at the 2000 Olympics Basketball TournamentBasketball at the 2000 Summer Olympics
-Group B:-Championship bracket:-Classification matches:-Preliminary round:The four best teams from each group advanced to the quarterfinal round.-Group A:-Group B:-Championship bracket:...
, and he was dubbed, together with 7 feet (2.1 m) teammates Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi
Wang Zhizhi is a Chinese professional basketball player. He is a former player in the National Basketball Association.Wang is 214 cm tall. Wang's father Wang Weijun and mother Ren Huanzhen were both basketball players...
and Mengke Bateer
Mengke Bateer
Mengke Bateer or Menk Batere , commonly referred to simply as Bateer, is a Chinese professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. He currently plays center for Xinjiang Guanghui.Bateer is an ethnic minority from China's Inner Mongolia region...
, "The Walking Great Wall". During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag
Flag of the People's Republic of China
The flag of the People's Republic of China is a red field charged in the canton with five golden stars. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in a semicircle set off towards the fly...
during the opening ceremony
Opening ceremony
An opening ceremony is the official opening of a building or event. The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games and the FIFA World Cup are huge events involving thousands of participants and watched by a massive worldwide audience. On a much smaller scale, some ceremonies mark the opening of a...
, which he said was a “long dream come true”. He then vowed to abstain from shaving his beard for half a year unless the Chinese national basketball team made it into the quarter-finals of the 2004 Olympics Basketball Tournament
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place at the Helliniko Olympic Indoor Arena in Athens, Greece for the preliminary rounds, with the latter stages being held in the Olympic Indoor Hall at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex....
. After Yao scored 39 points in a win against New Zealand
New Zealand national basketball team
The New Zealand national basketball team represents New Zealand in international basketball competitions. It is nicknamed the Tall Blacks, derived from the name of New Zealand's Rugby union team, the All Blacks.-History:...
, China lost 58–83, 57–82, and 52–89 against Spain
Spain national basketball team
The Spanish national basketball team is the basketball team representing Spain in international competitions, organized and run by the Spanish Basketball Federation...
, Argentina
Argentina national basketball team
The Argentina national basketball team represents Argentina in basketball international competitions, and is controlled by the Argentine Basketball Federation....
and Italy
Italy national basketball team
The Italian national basketball team is the national basketball team representing Italy. It is administrated by the Federazione Italiana Pallacanestro ....
respectively. In the final group game, however, a 67–66 win over the reigning 2002 FIBA World Champions
2002 FIBA World Championship
The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002.-Venues:-Squads:...
Serbia and Montenegro
Serbia national basketball team
The Serbian national basketball team represents Serbia in international basketball matches....
moved them into the quarterfinals. Yao scored 27 points and had 13 rebounds, and he hit two free throws with 28 seconds left that proved to be the winning margin. He averaged 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.
Asian Championships
Yao led the Chinese national team to 3 consecutive FIBA Asian Championship gold medals, winning the 2001 FIBA Asian Championship, the 2003 FIBA Asian Championship, and the 2005 FIBA Asian ChampionshipFIBA Asia Championship 2005
The 2005 FIBA Asia Championship was the men's basketball qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the 2006 FIBA World Championship at Japan.In order to qualify for the tournament, teams would have to go through regional qualifiers. At the main tournament, three nations qualified for the world...
. He was also named the MVP of all three tournaments.
2006 World Championships
Yao’s injury at the end of the 2005–06 NBA season required a full six months of rest, threatening his participation in the 2006 FIBA World Championship2006 FIBA World Championship
The 2006 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball competition hosted by Japan from August 19 to September 3, 2006. It was co-organised by the International Basketball Federation , Japan Basketball Association and the 2006 Organizing Committee...
. However, he recovered before the start of the tournament, and in the last game of the preliminary round, he had 36 points and 10 rebounds in a win against Slovenia
Slovenia national basketball team
The Slovenian National Basketball Team is a team that is selected by the Basketball Federation of Slovenia to compete in major international basketball events in representation of Slovenia....
to lead China into the Round of 16. In the first knockout round, however, China was defeated by eventual finalist Greece
Greece national basketball team
The Greece national basketball team is the representative for Greece in international men's basketball competitions, organized and run by the Hellenic Basketball Federation. Traditionally, Greece is considered among the world's top basketball powers; they were runners-up in the 2006 FIBA World...
. Yao's final averages were 25.3 points, the most in the tournament, and 9.0 rebounds a game, which was fourth overall.
2008 Olympics
After having surgery to repair his fractured foot, Yao said that if he could not play in the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing, "It would be the biggest loss in my career to right now". However, he returned to play with the Chinese national team on July 17, 2008. On August 6, Yao carried the Olympic Flame
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame or Olympic Torch is a symbol of the Olympic Games. Commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, its origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olympics. The fire was reintroduced at the 1928...
into Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square
Tiananmen Square is a large city square in the center of Beijing, China, named after the Tiananmen Gate located to its North, separating it from the Forbidden City. Tiananmen Square is the third largest city square in the world...
, as part of the Olympic torch relay
2008 Summer Olympics torch relay
The 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay was run from March 24 until August 8, 2008, prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics, with the theme of "one world, one dream". Plans for the relay were announced on April 26, 2007, in Beijing, China...
. He also carried the Chinese flag
2008 Summer Olympics national flag bearers
During the Parade of Nations portion of the 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, athletes from each country participating in the Olympics paraded in the arena, preceded by their flag...
and led his country's delegation
China at the 2008 Summer Olympics
China was the host nation of the 2008 Summer Olympics.China was represented by the Chinese Olympic Committee , and the team of selected athletes were officially known as Team China....
during the opening ceremony
2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony
The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 8:00 pm China Standard Time on August 8, 2008, as 8 is considered to be a lucky number. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture...
. Yao scored the first basket of the game, a three-pointer, in China's opening game against the eventual gold medal-winning United States.
"I was just really happy to make that shot," Yao said after the Americans’ 101–70 victory. “It was the first score in our Olympic campaign here at home and I’ll always remember it. It represents that we can keep our heads up in the face of really tough odds."
Following an overtime defeat to Spain
Spain national basketball team
The Spanish national basketball team is the basketball team representing Spain in international competitions, organized and run by the Spanish Basketball Federation...
, Yao scored 30 points in a win over Angola
Angola national basketball team
The Angola national basketball team represents Angola in international basketball matches and is controlled by the Federação Angolana de Basquetebol. Angola has been a member of FIBA since 1979...
, and 25 points in a three-point win against Germany
Germany national basketball team
The German national basketball team for men is the basketball side that represents Germany in international competitions. Their biggest successes are the victory in the European Championship of 1993 at home in Germany, the silver medal in the 2005 European Championships and the bronze medal in the...
, which clinched China's place in the quarterfinals. However, China lost to Lithuania
Lithuania national basketball team
The Lithuanian national basketball team is the representative for Lithuania in international men's basketball. Lithuania won bronze medals in three out of five Olympic tournaments it participated in....
in the quarterfinals by 26 points, eliminating them from the tournament. Yao's 19 points a game were the second-highest in the Olympics, and his averages of 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game were third overall.
CBA statistics
| Year | Team | GP | RPG | APG | FG% | FT% | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 CBA 1997-98 The 1997-98 CBA season is the 3rd CBA season.The season ran from November 23, 1997 to March 29, 1998. Ji'nan Army and Zhejiang Squirrels were promoted from the Second Division... |
Shanghai Shanghai Sharks The Shanghai Sharks , is a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai, China. Steven Kevelam is the first to corporate a good sponsorship, there is often an additional name used: for many years they were also known as the Shanghai Dongfang Sharks , but now are known as Shanghai Xiyang... |
21 | 8.3 | 1.3 | .615 | .485 | 10.0 |
| 1998–99 CBA 1998-99 The 1998-99 CBA season is the 4th CBA season.The season ran from December 27, 1998 to April 25, 1999. Air Force withdrew from the league before this season, therefore 3 teams were promoted from the Second Division... |
Shanghai | 12 | 12.9 | 1.7 | .585 | .699 | 20.9 |
| 1999–00 CBA 1999-00 The 1999–2000 CBA season is the 5th CBA season. The season ran from November 21, 1999 to March 19, 2000. Nanjing Army Thunder and Hubei Mailyard were promoted from the Second Division... |
Shanghai | 33 | 14.5 | 1.7 | .585 | .683 | 21.2 |
| 2000–01 CBA 2000-01 The 2000–01 CBA season is the 6th CBA season. The season ran from November 18, 2000 to March 18, 2001. Ji'nan Army and Shenyang Army were promoted from the Second Division... |
Shanghai | 22 | 19.4 | 2.2 | .679 | .799 | 27.1 |
| 2001–02 CBA 2001-02 The 2001–02 CBA season is the 7th CBA season. The season ran from December 8, 2001 to April 19, 2002. Shaanxi Kylins and Shenzhen Leopards were promoted from the Second Division. Taiwanese club Sina Lions joined CBA in this season. -Playoffs :... |
Shanghai | 24 | 19.0 | 1.9 | .721 | .759 | 32.4 |
| Career | 122 | 15.4 | 1.8 | .651 | .723 | 23.4 |
Regular season
|-| align="left"| 2002–03
| align="left"| Houston
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
| 82||72||29.0||.498||.500||.811||8.2||1.7||.4||1.8||13.5
|-
| align="left"| 2003–04
| align="left"| Houston
| 82||82||32.8||.522||.000||.809||9.0||1.5||.3||1.9||17.5
|-
| align="left"| 2004–05
| align="left"| Houston
| 80||80||30.6||.552||.000||.783||8.4||.8||.4||2.0||18.3
|-
| align="left"| 2005–06
| align="left"| Houston
| 57||57||34.2||.519||.000||.853||10.2||1.5||.5||1.6||22.3
|-
| align="left"| 2006–07
| align="left"| Houston
| 48||48||33.8||.516||.000||.862||9.4||2.0||.3||2.0||25.0
|-
| align="left"| 2007–08
| align="left"| Houston
| 55||55||37.2||.507||.000||.850||10.8||2.3||.4||2.0||22.0
|-
| align="left"| 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| align="left"| Houston
| 77||77||33.6||.548||1.000||.866||9.9||1.8||.4||2.0||19.7
|-
| align="left"| 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| align="left"| Houston
| 5||5||18.2||.486||.000||.938||5.4||.8||.0||1.6||10.2
|-
| align="left"| Career
| align="left"|
| 486||476||32.5||.524||.200||.833||9.2||1.6||.4||1.9||19.0
|-
| align="left"| All-Star
| align="left"|
| 5||5||18.2||.529||.000||.667||4.2||1.6||.2||.2||8.0
Playoffs
|-| align="left"| 2003–04
2004 NBA Playoffs
The 2004 NBA Playoffs were the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2003–04 season. Consisting of 16 teams in two conferences, the playoffs involved about two months of play. The playoffs were conducted in seven-game series, with the team with the better record holding home court...
| align="left"| Houston
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
| 5||5||37.0||.456||.000||.765||7.4||1.8||.4||1.4||15.0
|-
| align="left"| 2004–05
2005 NBA Playoffs
The 2005 NBA Playoffs was the postseason of the National Basketball Association's 2004–05 season.The San Antonio Spurs, the number two ranked team in the Western Conference, won the 2005 NBA Playoffs by defeating the defending champions, the Detroit Pistons, 4-3 in the NBA Finals...
| align="left"| Houston
| 7||7||31.4||.655||.000||.727||7.7||.7||.3||2.7||21.4
|-
| align="left"| 2006–07
2007 NBA Playoffs
The 2007 NBA Playoffs was the postseason to the National Basketball Association's 2006–2007 season.There were four rounds of postseason action, all of them in a best-of-seven format, with teams seeded on a bracket. The team with the better record wasn't necessarily the basis of seeding teams in...
| align="left"| Houston
| 7||7||37.1||.440||.000||.880||10.3||.9||.1||.7||25.1
|-
| align="left"| 2008–09
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
| align="left"| Houston
| 9||9||35.9||.545||.000||.902||10.9||1.0||.4||1.1||17.1
|-
| align="left"| Career
| align="left"|
| 28||28||35.3||.519||.000||.833||9.3||1.0||.3||1.5||19.8
Awards and achievements
- 8× NBA All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011
- 5× All-NBA Team:
- Second Team: 2007, 2009
- Third Team: 2004, 2006, 2008
- NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2003
- NBA Rookie All-Star Game: 2004
- Gold medal winner with Team China at the 2001, 2003, 2005FIBA Asia Championship 2005The 2005 FIBA Asia Championship was the men's basketball qualifying tournament for FIBA Asia at the 2006 FIBA World Championship at Japan.In order to qualify for the tournament, teams would have to go through regional qualifiers. At the main tournament, three nations qualified for the world...
FIBA Asian Championship - MVP of the 2001, 2003, 2005 FIBA Asian Championship
- All-Tournament Team, FIBA World Championship: 2002
- Chinese Basketball Association Champion: 2001–02
- Rebounding leader in CBA in 2001–02
- 2003 Sporting News Rookie of the Year
- 2003 Laureus Newcomer of the Year
Personal life
Ye Li (basketball)
Ye Li is a Chinese professional basketball player who played for the China women's national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics.At tall, she is married to Yao Ming, a former center who played for the NBA's Houston Rockets. Ye met Yao at the age of seventeen in 1998...
, a women's basketball player for China. He met her when he was 17 years old. Ye was not fond of Yao at first, but finally accepted him after he gave her the team pins he had collected during the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. She is the only woman he has ever dated. Their relationship became public when they appeared together during the 2004 Olympics closing ceremony. On August 6, 2007, Yao married Ye in a ceremony attended by close friends and family and closed to the media.
In 2004, Yao co-wrote an autobiography with ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
sportswriter Ric Bucher
Ric Bucher
Ric Bucher is an NBA analyst for ESPN and ESPN.com. Bucher is also a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine and a columnist for ESPN.com.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bucher is a 1983 graduate of Dartmouth College, where he played four years on the varsity soccer team. Bucher has covered the NBA since...
, entitled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds. In the same year, he was also the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao
The Year of the Yao
The Year of the Yao is a 2004 documentary film telling the first year of basketball player Yao Ming in the United States. The film is narrated by his friend and former interpreter Colin Pine, who stayed with Yao during Yao's rookie year, and interpreted for him for three years....
, which focuses on his NBA rookie year. The film is narrated by his friend and former interpreter, Colin Pine, who stayed with Yao during Yao's rookie year, and interpreted for him for three years. In 2005, former Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
writer Brook Larmer published a book entitled Operation Yao Ming, in which he said that Yao's parents were convinced to marry each other so that they would produce a dominant athlete, and that during Yao's childhood, he was given special treatment to help him become a great basketball player. In 2009, Yao provided the voice for a character of a Chinese animated film The Magic Aster
The Magic Aster
The Magic Aster is a Chinese animated film released June 19, 2009 by Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Xiamen Shangchen Science and Technology company and the Shanghai Chengtai investment management company.-Cast:...
, released on June 19.
On May 21, 2010, the couple's first child—a daughter named Yao Qinlei, whose English name is Amy—was born in Houston.
Yao enrolled in the Antai College of Economics & Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University or SJTU), sometimes referred to as Shanghai Jiaotong University , is a top public research university located in Shanghai, China. Shanghai Jiao Tong University is known as one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China...
in 2011. He is taking a tailored degree program with mostly one-on-one lectures to avoid being a distraction on campus.
Public life
Yao is one of China's most recognizable athletes, along with Liu XiangLiu Xiang
Liu Xiang is a Chinese 110 meter hurdler. Liu is an Olympic Gold medalist and World Champion. His 2004 Olympic gold medal was the first in a men's track and field event for China....
. As of 2009, he had led Forbes'
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
Chinese celebrities list
China Celebrity 100
China Celebrity 100 is a list published annually by Forbes, and is similar to Celebrity 100 also published by Forbes. Factors that are taken into account include income, search engine hits, as well as exposure on newspapers, magazines and television....
in income and popularity for six straight years, earning US$51 million (CN¥
Chinese yuan
The yuan is the base unit of a number of modern Chinese currencies. The yuan is the primary unit of account of the Renminbi.A yuán is also known colloquially as a kuài . One yuán is divided into 10 jiǎo or colloquially máo...
357 million) in 2008. A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals, as he is under contract with several major companies to endorse their products. He was signed by Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
until the end of his rookie season. When Nike decided not to renew his contract, he signed with Reebok
Reebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
. He also had a deal with Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, and he successfully sued Coca-Cola in 2003 when they used his image on their bottles while promoting the national team. However, he has since signed with Coca-Cola for the 2008 Olympics. His other deals include partnerships with Visa, Apple, Garmin
Garmin
Garmin Ltd. , incorporated in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, is the parent company of a group of companies founded in 1989 by Gary Burrell and Min Kao , that develops consumer, aviation, and marine technologies for the Global Positioning System...
, and McDonald’s.
Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career, including the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program. In the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao hosted a telethon, which raised 300,000 U.S. dollars to help stop the spread of SARS
Severe acute respiratory syndrome
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome is a respiratory disease in humans which is caused by the SARS coronavirus . Between November 2002 and July 2003 an outbreak of SARS in Hong Kong nearly became a pandemic, with 8,422 cases and 916 deaths worldwide according to the WHO...
. In September 2007, he held an auction that raised 965,000 U.S. dollars (6.75 million yuan), and competed in a charity basketball match to raise money for underprivileged children in China. He was joined by fellow NBA stars Steve Nash
Steve Nash
Stephen John "Steve" Nash, OC, OBC is a South African-born Canadian professional basketball player who plays point guard for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association . Nash enjoyed a successful high-school basketball career, and he was eventually given a scholarship by Santa Clara...
, Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Anthony
Carmelo Kiyan Anthony , nicknamed "Melo", is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association...
, and Baron Davis
Baron Davis
Baron Walter Louis Davis is an American professional basketball player with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. Drafted as the third pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Davis was a star at Crossroads School and UCLA....
, and movie star Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
The 2008 Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 Msand 7.9 Mw occurred at 14:28:01 CST...
, Yao donated $2 million to relief work, and created a foundation to help rebuild schools destroyed in the earthquake.
On July 16, 2009, Yao bought his former club team, the Shanghai Sharks
Shanghai Sharks
The Shanghai Sharks , is a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai, China. Steven Kevelam is the first to corporate a good sponsorship, there is often an additional name used: for many years they were also known as the Shanghai Dongfang Sharks , but now are known as Shanghai Xiyang...
, which were on the verge of not being able to play the next season of the Chinese Basketball Association
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association , often abbreviated to the CBA, is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in China.The league is commonly known as the CBA, and this acronym is often used even in Chinese...
due to financial troubles.
See also
External links
- NBA.com Official Yao Ming player profile
- Club Yao – Official Yao Ming fan club
- The Yao Ming Foundation official website