Yao Ming

Yao Ming (Template:Lang-zh; born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional player. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), and then spent his entire nine-year National Basketball Association (NBA) career with the Houston Rockets. 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. During his final season, he was the tallest active player in the NBA, at Template:Convert.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Yao, who was born in Shanghai, started playing for the Sharks as a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the 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 Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He reached the NBA playoffs four times, and the Rockets won the first-round series in the 2009 postseason, their first playoff series victory since 1997. In July 2011, Yao announced his retirement from professional basketball because of a series of foot and ankle injuries which forced him to miss 250 games in his last six seasons.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In eight seasons with the Rockets, Yao ranks sixth among franchise leaders in total points and total rebounds, and second in total blocks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Yao is one of China's best-known athletes internationally, 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. Known in China as the "Yao Ming Phenomenon" and in the United States as the "Ming Dynasty", Yao's success in the NBA, and his popularity among fans, made him a symbol of a new China that was both more modern and more confident.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Yao is also an entrepreneur and owner of Yao Family Wines in Napa Valley, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In April 2016, Yao was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson, becoming the first Chinese national to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2017, Yao was unanimously elected as chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association.<ref name="cbachairman">Template:Cite web</ref> Yao had a storied career as a member of the Chinese national team.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With the national team, Yao won the FIBA Asia Cup in 2001, 2003, and 2005, winning MVP of the tournament all three times.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He also made the All-Tournament Team at the FIBA World Cup in 2002. Yao retired from the Chinese national team after the 2008 Beijing Olympics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite Sports-Reference</ref>

Early life

Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980, in Shanghai, China.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He is the only child of Template:Convert Yao Zhiyuan and Template:Convert Fang Fengdi,<ref name="ref1">Template:Cite web</ref> both of whom were former professional basketball players.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> At birth, Yao weighed Template:Convert, more than twice the average weight of a Chinese newborn.<ref name="ref3">Template:Cite book</ref> When Yao was nine years old, he began playing basketball and attended a junior sports school.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The following year, Yao measured Template:Convert<ref name="book">Template:Cite book</ref> and was examined by sports doctors, who predicted he would grow to Template:Convert.<ref name="book"/>

Professional career

Shanghai Sharks (1997–2002)

Yao first tried out for the Shanghai Sharks' junior team of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) when he was 13 years old, and practiced ten hours a day for his acceptance.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After playing with the junior team for four years, Yao joined the Sharks' senior team, where he averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds a game in his rookie season. 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).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and made all 21 of his shots during one game in the finals.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Houston Rockets (2002–2011)

Yao was pressured to enter the NBA draft in 1999 by Li Yaomin, the deputy general manager of the Shanghai Sharks.<ref name="ref3"/> 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,<ref name="ref3"/> but the contract was later determined to be invalid.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

As American attention on Yao grew, Chinese authorities also took interest. In 2002, the Chinese government released new regulations that would require him and other Chinese players to turn over half of any NBA earnings to the government and China's national basketball association, including endorsements as well as salaries.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the vice president for marketing at BDA Sports Management, Bill Sanders.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yao was widely predicted to be picked number one overall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> However, some teams were concerned about Yao's NBA eligibility because of uncertainty over whether the CBA would let Yao play in the United States.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Shortly after Wang Zhizhi refused to return to China to play for the national team and was subsequently banned from playing for China,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the CBA stipulated that Yao would have to return to play for the national team.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> They also said they would not let him go to the United States unless the Houston Rockets would take him first overall.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Beginning years (2002–2005)

Yao did not participate in the Rockets' pre-season training camp, instead playing for China in the 2002 FIBA World Championships.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Before the season, several commentators, including Bill Simmons and Dick Vitale, predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="barkleykiss">Template:Cite news</ref> Yao played his first NBA game against the Indiana Pacers, scoring no points and grabbing two rebounds,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and scored his first NBA basket against the Denver Nuggets.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Barkley made good on his bet by kissing the buttock of a donkey purchased by Smith for the occasion (Smith's "ass").<ref name="barkleykiss"/>

In Yao's first game in Miami on December 16, 2002, the Heat passed out 8,000 fortune cookies, an East Asian cultural stereotype.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yao was not angry with the promotion because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese.<ref name=tang>Template:Cite news</ref> In an earlier interview in 2000, Yao said he had never seen a fortune cookie in China and guessed it must have been an American invention.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name=tang/> O'Neal denied that his comments were racist, and said he was only joking.<ref name="racism">Template:Cite news</ref> Yao also said he believed O'Neal was joking, but he said a lot of Asians would not see the humor.<ref name="racism"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the game, Yao scored the Rockets' first six points of the game and blocked O'Neal twice in the opening minutes as well as altering two other shots by O'Neal, all 4 of those attempts coming right at the rim, and made a game-sealing dunk with 10 seconds left in overtime.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yao finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks; O'Neal recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 0 blocks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> O'Neal later expressed regret for the way he treated Yao early in his career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yao was voted to start for the West over O'Neal, who was coming off three consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Yao prepares to shoot a free throw with John Stockton in the background

Yao finished his rookie season averaging 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game,<ref name="ref4">Template:Cite web</ref> and was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting to Amar'e Stoudemire,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a unanimous pick for the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection.<ref name=autogenerated1>Template:Cite web</ref> He was also voted the Sporting News Rookie of the Year,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Yao (fourth from left) standing with the Sophomores team during the 2004 Rookie Challenge game.

Before the start of Yao's sophomore season, Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned because of health issues,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and long-time New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was brought in. After Van Gundy began focusing the offense on Yao,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yao finished the season averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a game.<ref name="ref4"/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yao averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first playoff series.<ref name="ref4"/>

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.<ref name="ref5">Template:Cite news</ref> 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."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After the trade, it was predicted that the Rockets would be title contenders.<ref name="ref5"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yao's final averages for the series were 21.4 points on 65% shooting and 7.7 rebounds.<ref name="ref4"/>

Career highs and injury-plagued seasons (2005–2011)

In his fifth season, Yao averaged a career-high 25 points per game.

After missing only two games out of 246 in his first three years of NBA play,<ref name="ref1"/> Yao was rewarded with a five-year, $75 million extension during the 2005 offseason.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, he endured an extended period on the inactive list in his fourth season after developing osteomyelitis in the big toe on his left foot, and surgery was performed on the toe on December 18, 2005.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite missing 21 games while recovering,<ref name="ref1"/> Yao again had the most fan votes to start the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His final averages in 57 games were 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.<ref name="ref4"/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yao and McGrady played only 31 games together,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the Rockets did not make the playoffs, winning only 34 games.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 MVP candidate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yao was unable to play in what would have been his fifth All-Star game;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he was medically cleared to play on March 4, 2007, after missing 32 games.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Despite Yao's absence, the Rockets made the playoffs with the home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Rockets won the first two games, but then lost four of five games<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and were eliminated in Game 7 at home; Yao scored 29 points—15 in the fourth quarter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Although he averaged 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds for the series, Yao said afterwards "I didn't do my job".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On May 18, 2007, only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed as head coach.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Three days later, the Rockets signed former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who was thought to focus more on offense than the defensive-minded Van Gundy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Yao advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the only time in his career in 2009.

Yao playing against Gilbert Arenas

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After Yao's injury, the Rockets stretched their winning streak to 22 games, at the time the second-longest such streak in NBA history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yao's final averages in 55 games were 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks a game.<ref name="ref4"/>

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.<ref name="ref4"/> Despite McGrady suffering a season-ending injury in February,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Rockets finished with 53 wins and the fifth seed in the Western Conference.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Rockets won all their games in Houston,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and the first time in Yao's career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, the Rockets lost their next two games,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Yao was diagnosed with a sprained ankle after Game 3.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A follow-up test revealed a hairline fracture in his left foot, and he was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In reaction, Yao said the injury, which did not require surgery, was "better than last year".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, follow-up analysis indicated that the injury could be career threatening.<ref name=apress>Template:Cite news</ref> The Yao-less Rockets went on to win Game 4 against the Lakers to even the series 2–2.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He did not play the entire 2009–10 season.<ref name=solomon>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name=solomon/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yao's contract with the Rockets expired at the end of the season, and he became a free agent.<ref name=ap_07112011>Template:Cite news</ref>

Retirement

On July 20, 2011, Yao announced his retirement from basketball in a press conference in Shanghai.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=ap_07202011>Template:Cite web</ref> He cited injuries to his foot and ankle, including the third fracture to his left foot sustained near the end of 2010.<ref name="chron.com">Template:Cite web</ref> His retirement sparked over 1.2 million comments on the Chinese social-networking site Sina Weibo.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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."<ref name="chron.com"/> 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."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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 granted Yao's request, and said it was Yao's decision when the process would be restarted.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On September 9, 2016, Yao was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with 4-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Continuing with the honors, on February 3, 2017, Yao's Number 11 jersey was retired by the Houston Rockets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

National team career

Yao was the leading scorer of the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

2000 and 2004 Olympics

Yao first played for China in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and he was dubbed, together with Template:Cvt teammates Wang Zhizhi and Mengke Bateer, "the Walking Great Wall".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony, which he said was a "long dream come true".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He then vowed to abstain from shaving his beard for half a year unless the Chinese national team made it into the quarter-finals of the 2004 Olympics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He averaged 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Asian Cup

Yao led the Chinese national team to three consecutive FIBA Asia Cup gold medals, winning the 2001 FIBA Asian Championship, the 2003 FIBA Asian Championship, and the 2005 FIBA Asian Championship. He was also named the MVP of all three tournaments.

2006 World Championship

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 Championship.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="slov">Template:Cite news</ref> In the first knockout round, however, China was defeated by eventual finalist Greece.<ref name="slov"/> Yao's final averages were 25.3 points, the most in the tournament, and 9.0 rebounds a game, which was fourth overall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2008 Olympics

Yao against LeBron James at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing

After having surgery to repair his fractured foot, Yao stated if he could not play in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, "It would be the biggest loss in my career to right now."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He returned to play with the Chinese national team on July 17, 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On August 6, Yao carried the Olympic flame into Tiananmen Square, as part of the Olympic torch relay.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also carried the Chinese flag and led his country's delegation during the opening ceremony.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yao scored the first basket of the game, a three-pointer, in China's opening 2008 Olympics Basketball Tournament game against the eventual gold medal-winning United States.<ref name=mahoney>Template:Cite news</ref>

"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."<ref name=mahoney/>

Following an overtime defeat to Spain,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Yao scored 30 points in a win over Angola,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 25 points in a three-point win against Germany,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> which clinched China's place in the quarterfinals. However, China lost to Lithuania in the quarterfinals by 26 points,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> eliminating them from the tournament. Yao's 19 points a game were the second-highest in the Olympics,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and his averages of 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game were third overall.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Chinese Basketball Association

Yao served as chair of the Chinese Basketball Association from 2017 until his resignation in 2024 due to personal issues.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Career statistics

CBA statistics

Year	Team	GP	RPG	APG	FG%	FT%	PPG
1997–98	Shanghai	21	8.3	1.3	.615	.485	10.0
1998–99	Shanghai	12	12.9	1.7	.585	.699	20.9
1999–00	Shanghai	33	14.5	1.7	.585	.683	21.2
2000–01	Shanghai	22	19.4	2.2	.679	.799	27.1
2001–02	Shanghai	24	19.0	1.9	.721	.759	32.4
Career		122	15.4	1.8	.651	.723	23.4

NBA statistics

Regular season

Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Houston |82||72||29.0||.498||.500||.811||8.2||1.7||.4||1.8||13.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nowrap | style="text-align:left;"| Houston |82||82||32.8||.522||.000||.809||9.0||1.5||.3||1.9||17.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 80||80||30.6||.552||.000||.783||8.4||.8||.4||2.0||18.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 57||57||34.2||.519||.000||.853||10.2||1.5||.5||1.6||22.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 48||48||33.8||.516||.000||.862||9.4||2.0||.4||2.0||25.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 55||55||37.2||.507||.000||.850||10.8||2.3||.5||2.0||22.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 77||77||33.6||.548||1.000||.866||9.9||1.8||.4||1.9||19.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Template:Nbay | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 5||5||18.2||.486||.000||.938||5.4||.8||.0||1.6||10.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2| Career | 486||476||32.5||.524||.200||.833||9.2||1.6||.4||1.9||19.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2| All-Star | 6||6||17.0||.500||.000||.667||4.0||1.3||.2||.3||7.0 Template:S-end

Playoffs

Template:NBA player statistics start |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 5||5||37.0||.456||.000||.765||7.4||1.8||.4||1.4||15.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 7||7||31.4||.655||.000||.727||7.7||.7||.3||2.7||21.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 7||7||37.1||.440||.000||.880||10.3||.9||.1||.7||25.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009 | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 9||9||35.9||.545||.000||.902||10.9||1.0||.4||1.2||17.1 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan=2| Career | 28||28||35.3||.519||.000||.833||9.3||1.0||.3||1.5||19.8 Template:S-end

Awards and achievements

• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Class of 2016
• FIBA Hall of Fame: Class of 2023
• 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, and 2005 FIBA Asia Cups
• MVP of the 2001, 2003, 2005 FIBA Asia Cups
• FIBA Diamond Ball Top Scorer: 2004
• All-Tournament Team, FIBA World Cup: 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
• 2005 Proletarian Award, issued by the Chinese Communist Party<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life

After Yao announced that he would enter the 2002 NBA draft, he told one American journalist that he had been studying English for two years, and that he liked the movie Star Wars but disliked hip hop. He was sometimes accompanied during interviews in Shanghai by one of his parents, whose basketball careers were derailed by the 1966–76 Cultural Revolution, and who came to his Shanghai Sharks games on bicycles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Yao answers questions from reporters, October 2006

Yao met Chinese female basketball player Ye Li 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.<ref name="ref6">Template:Cite news</ref> She is the only woman he has ever dated.<ref name=parade>Template:Cite news</ref> Their relationship became public when they appeared together during the 2004 Olympics closing ceremony.<ref name="ref6"/> On August 6, 2007, Yao and Ye married in a ceremony attended by close friends and family and closed to the media.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On May 21, 2010, the couple's daughter Yao Qinlei (Template:Lang-zh; her English name is Amy) was born in Houston, Texas.<ref name=ap_07202011/><ref>"Yao Ming's daughter named Amy". Shanghai Daily. July 30, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2004, Yao co-wrote an autobiography with ESPN sportswriter Ric Bucher, entitled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film is narrated by his friend and interpreter, Colin Pine.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref name="ref3"/> In a 2015 AMA post on Reddit, Yao stated that this was not true and that he started playing basketball for fun at age 9.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2009, Yao provided the voice for a character of a Chinese animated film, The Magic Aster, released on June 19.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Yao enrolled at the Antai College of Economics & Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He took a tailored degree program with mostly one-on-one lectures to avoid being a distraction on campus.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Yao completed his studies in July 2018, graduating with a degree in economics after 7 years of study.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 2016, Yao opened a winery called Yao Family Wines in Napa Valley, California, which serves Cabernet Sauvignon blends and "the kind of rich-but-balanced luxury reds he'd come to enjoy in Houston steakhouses."<ref name=wine>Template:Cite web</ref> American wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. of The Wine Advocate gave Yao's wine a ranking of 96 points and wrote: "I am aware of all the arguments that major celebrities lending their names to wines is generally a formula for mediocrity, but... the two Cabernets are actually brilliant, and the reserve bottling ranks alongside just about anything made in Napa."<ref name=wine/>

Other activities

Commercial engagements

Yao (left) with United States Secretary of State John Kerry at the U.S.–China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in 2014

Yao is one of China's most recognizable athletes, along with Liu Xiang.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals,<ref name="ref7">Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He eventually signed with Coca-Cola for the 2008 Olympics.<ref name="ref7"/> His other deals include partnerships with Visa,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Apple,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Garmin,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and McDonald's.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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 because of financial troubles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Philanthropy

Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career, including the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao hosted a telethon, which raised US$300,000 to help stop the spread of SARS.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In September 2007, he held an auction that raised US$965,000 (CN¥6.75 million),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Yao donated $2 million to relief work and created the Yao Ming Foundation to help rebuild schools destroyed in the earthquake.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Conservation work

Yao in Beijing in 2016

Yao partnered with WildAid to appear in commercials and documentaries to educate citizens on the harmful effects of shark fin soup on shark species. From 2011 to 2018, consumption of shark fin soup dropped by 70% in China.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In August 2012, Yao started filming a documentary about the northern white rhinoceros.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He is also an ambassador for elephant conservation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, he was also part of the documentary The End of the Wild about elephant conservation. Yao has filmed a number of public service announcements for elephant and rhino conservation for the "Say No" campaign with partners African Wildlife Foundation and WildAid.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Politics

On March 3, 2013, Yao attended the First Session of the 12th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference as one of its 2,200 members.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was a member of the CPPCC from 2013 to 2018. While he is involved in Chinese politics, he is not a member of the Chinese Communist Party, although he has been awarded the Proletarian Award by the party for his spreading of literacy and socialist ideologies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• List of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards
• List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history

Further reading

• Pu, H. (2016). Mediating the giants: Yao Ming, NBA and the cultural politics of Sino-American relations. Asia Pacific Journal of Sport and Social Science, 5(2), 87–107.
• Wang, C. (2004). Capitalizing the big man: Yao Ming, Asian America, and the China Global. Inter-Asia Cultural Studies, 5(2), 263–278.

External links

• Template:Commons category-inline
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• Template:Olympedia
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• Template:Chinese Olympic Committee
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• The Yao Ming Foundation official website