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Wikipedia

Yao Ming

March 14, 2023

For the singer, see Yao Min.
In this Chinese name, the family name is Yao.

Yao Ming (Chinese: 姚明; 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 the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). 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 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in).[1]

Yao Ming
Yao in 2014
6th President of the Chinese Basketball Association
Assumed office
February 23, 2017
Preceded byYu Zaiqing
Member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (12th)
In office
March 2013 – March 2018
ChairmanYu Zhengsheng
Personal details
Born (1980-09-12) September 12, 1980 (age 42)
Shanghai, China
Spouse
​
(m. 2007)​
Children1
OccupationBasketball player / administrator
Basketball career
Personal information
Listed height7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Listed weight310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2002 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career1997–2011
PositionCenter
Number11
Career history
1997–2002Shanghai Sharks
2002–2011Houston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points9,247 (19.0 ppg)
Rebounds4,494 (9.2 rpg)
Blocks920 (1.9 bpg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Yao Ming
Yao's name in Chinese characters
Chinese姚明

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.[2] In eight seasons with the Rockets, Yao ranks sixth among franchise leaders in total points and total rebounds, and second in total blocks.[3]

Yao 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. 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.[4]

In April 2016, Yao was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson.[5] In February 2017, Yao was unanimously elected as chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association.[6]

Early life

Yao is the only child of 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m) Yao Zhiyuan and 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m) Fang Fengdi,[7] both of whom were former professional basketball players.[8] At 11 pounds (5.0 kg), Yao weighed more than twice as much as the average Chinese newborn.[9] When Yao was nine years old, he began playing basketball and attended a junior sports school.[10] The following year, Yao measured 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m)[11] and was examined by sports doctors, who predicted he would grow to 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m).[11]

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.[12] After playing with the junior team for four years, Yao joined the senior team of the Sharks, 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).[13] 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,[14] and made all 21 of his shots during one game in the finals.[15]

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.[9] 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,[9] but the contract was later determined to be invalid.[16]

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.[17]

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;[18] and the vice president for marketing at BDA Sports Management, Bill Sanders.[19] Yao was widely predicted to be picked number one overall.[20][21][22] 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.[23]

Shortly after Wang Zhizhi refused to return to China to play for the national team and was subsequently banned from playing for China,[24] the CBA stipulated that Yao would have to return to play for the national team.[25] They also said they would not let him go to the United States unless the Houston Rockets would take him first overall.[26] 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.[27] 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.[28]

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.[29] Before the season, several commentators, including Bill Simmons and Dick Vitale, predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA,[30][31] 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.[32] Yao played his first NBA game against the Indiana Pacers, scoring no points and grabbing two rebounds,[33][34] and scored his first NBA basket against the Denver Nuggets.[35] 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.[36] Barkley made good on his bet by kissing the buttock of a donkey purchased by Smith for the occasion (Smith's "ass").[32]

In Yao's first game in Miami on December 16, 2002, the Heat passed out 8,000 fortune cookies, an East Asian cultural stereotype.[37][38] Yao was not angry with the promotion because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese.[39] 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.[40]

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.[39] O'Neal denied that his comments were racist, and said he was only joking.[41] Yao also said he believed O'Neal was joking, but he said a lot of Asians would not see the humor.[41][42] 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.[43] Yao finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks; O'Neal recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 0 blocks.[44] O'Neal later expressed regret for the way he treated Yao early in his career.[45]

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.[46] Yao was voted to start for the West over O'Neal, who was coming off three consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards.[47] 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.[48]

 
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,[49] and was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting to Amar'e Stoudemire,[50] and a unanimous pick for the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection.[51] He was also voted the Sporting News Rookie of the Year,[52] and won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award.[53]

 
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,[54] and long-time New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was brought in. After Van Gundy began focusing the offense on Yao,[55] 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.[56] 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.[57] Yao finished the season averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a game.[49] 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.[58] Yao averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first playoff series.[49]

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.[59] 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."[60] After the trade, it was predicted that the Rockets would be title contenders.[59][61] 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.[62] 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.[63] 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.[64] 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.[65] Yao's final averages for the series were 21.4 points on 65% shooting and 7.7 rebounds.[49]

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,[7] Yao 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.[66] Despite missing 21 games while recovering,[7] Yao again had the most fan votes to start the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.[67]

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.[68] His final averages in 57 games were 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.[49] 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.[69] Yao and McGrady played only 31 games together,[70] and the Rockets did not make the playoffs, winning only 34 games.[71] 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.[72]

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.[73] 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.[74][75] Yao was unable to play in what would have been his fifth All-Star game;[76] he was medically cleared to play on March 4, 2007, after missing 32 games.[77]

Despite Yao's absence, the Rockets made the playoffs with the home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round.[78] The Rockets won the first two games, but then lost four of five games[79] and were eliminated in Game 7 at home; Yao scored 29 points—15 in the fourth quarter.[80] Although he averaged 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds for the series, Yao said afterwards "I didn't do my job".[81] 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.[82]

On May 18, 2007, only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed as head coach.[83] Three days later, the Rockets signed former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman,[84] who was thought to focus more on offense than the defensive-minded Van Gundy.[85][86]

 
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.[87] In the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference.[88] 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.[89] After Yao's injury, the Rockets stretched their winning streak to 22 games, at the time the second-longest such streak in NBA history.[90] 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.[91] Yao's final averages in 55 games were 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks a game.[49]

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.[49] Despite McGrady suffering a season-ending injury in February,[92] the Rockets finished with 53 wins and the fifth seed in the Western Conference.[93] 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.[94] The Rockets won all their games in Houston,[95] and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and the first time in Yao's career.[96]

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.[97] However, the Rockets lost their next two games,[98][99] and Yao was diagnosed with a sprained ankle after Game 3.[100] A follow-up test revealed a hairline fracture in his left foot, and he was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs.[101] In reaction, Yao said the injury, which did not require surgery, was "better than last year".[102] However, follow-up analysis indicated that the injury could be career threatening.[103] The Yao-less Rockets went on to win Game 4 against the Lakers to even the series 2–2.[104] 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.[105] 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.[106] He did not play the entire 2009–10 season.[107]

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.[107] 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.[108] 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.[109] Yao's contract with the Rockets expired at the end of the season, and he became a free agent.[110]

Retirement

On July 20, 2011, Yao announced his retirement from basketball in a press conference in Shanghai.[111][112] He cited injuries to his foot and ankle, including the third fracture to his left foot sustained near the end of 2010.[113] His retirement sparked over 1.2 million comments on the Chinese social-networking site Sina Weibo.[114] 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."[113] 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."[115]

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.[116]

On September 9, 2016, Yao was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with 4-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson.[117] Continuing with the honours, on February 3, 2017, Yao's Number 11 jersey was retired by the Houston Rockets.[118]

National team career

2000 and 2004 Olympics

Yao first played for China in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and he was dubbed, together with 7 ft (2.1 m) teammates Wang Zhizhi and Mengke Bateer, "the Walking Great Wall".[119] During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony, which he said was a "long dream come true".[120] 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.[121] 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.[122] He averaged 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.[123]

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.[124] 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.[125] In the first knockout round, however, China was defeated by eventual finalist Greece.[125] Yao's final averages were 25.3 points, the most in the tournament, and 9.0 rebounds a game, which was fourth overall.[126]

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."[127] He returned to play with the Chinese national team on July 17, 2008.[128] On August 6, Yao carried the Olympic flame into Tiananmen Square, as part of the Olympic torch relay.[129] He also carried the Chinese flag and led his country's delegation during the opening ceremony.[130] 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.[131]

"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."[131]

Following an overtime defeat to Spain,[132] Yao scored 30 points in a win over Angola,[133] and 25 points in a three-point win against Germany,[134] which clinched China's place in the quarterfinals. However, China lost to Lithuania in the quarterfinals by 26 points,[135] eliminating them from the tournament. Yao's 19 points a game were the second-highest in the Olympics,[136] and his averages of 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game were third overall.[137][138]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

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

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2002–03 Houston 82* 72 29.0 .498 .500 .811 8.2 1.7 .4 1.8 13.5
2003–04 Houston 82* 82* 32.8 .522 .000 .809 9.0 1.5 .3 1.9 17.5
2004–05 Houston 80 80 30.6 .552 .000 .783 8.4 .8 .4 2.0 18.3
2005–06 Houston 57 57 34.2 .519 .000 .853 10.2 1.5 .5 1.6 22.3
2006–07 Houston 48 48 33.8 .516 .000 .862 9.4 2.0 .4 2.0 25.0
2007–08 Houston 55 55 37.2 .507 .000 .850 10.8 2.3 .5 2.0 22.0
2008–09 Houston 77 77 33.6 .548 1.000 .866 9.9 1.8 .4 1.9 19.7
2010–11 Houston 5 5 18.2 .486 .000 .938 5.4 .8 .0 1.6 10.2
Career 486 476 32.5 .524 .200 .833 9.2 1.6 .4 1.9 19.0
All-Star 6 6 17.0 .500 .000 .667 4.0 1.3 .2 .3 7.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004 Houston 5 5 37.0 .456 .000 .765 7.4 1.8 .4 1.4 15.0
2005 Houston 7 7 31.4 .655 .000 .727 7.7 .7 .3 2.7 21.4
2007 Houston 7 7 37.1 .440 .000 .880 10.3 .9 .1 .7 25.1
2009 Houston 9 9 35.9 .545 .000 .902 10.9 1.0 .4 1.2 17.1
Career 28 28 35.3 .519 .000 .833 9.3 1.0 .3 1.5 19.8

Awards and achievements

  • Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Class of 2016
  • 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

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.[140]

 
Yao answers questions from reporters, October 2006

Yao met Chinese female basketball player Ye Li when he was 17 years old.[141] 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.[141] She is the only woman he has ever dated.[142] Their relationship became public when they appeared together during the 2004 Olympics closing ceremony.[141] On August 6, 2007, Yao and Ye married in a ceremony attended by close friends and family and closed to the media.[143] On May 21, 2010, the couple's daughter Yao Qinlei (whose English name is Amy) was born in Houston, Texas.[112][144][145]

In 2004, Yao co-wrote an autobiography with ESPN sportswriter Ric Bucher, entitled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds.[146] 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.[147] The film is narrated by his friend and interpreter, Colin Pine.[148] 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.[9] 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.[149] In 2009, Yao provided the voice for a character of a Chinese animated film, The Magic Aster, released on June 19.[150]

Yao enrolled at the Antai College of Economics & Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2011.[151] He took a tailored degree program with mostly one-on-one lectures to avoid being a distraction on campus.[152] Yao completed his studies in July 2018, graduating with a degree in economics after 7 years of study.[153][154][155][156]

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."[157] 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."[157]

Other activities

Commercial engagements

Yao is one of China's most recognizable athletes, along with Liu Xiang.[158] 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.[159] A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals,[160] 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.[161] 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.[162] He eventually signed with Coca-Cola for the 2008 Olympics.[160] His other deals include partnerships with Visa,[163] Apple,[164] Garmin,[165] and McDonald's.[166]

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.[167]

Philanthropy

Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career, including the NBA's Basketball Without Borders program.[168] In the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao hosted a telethon, which raised US$300,000 to help stop the spread of SARS.[169] In September 2007, he held an auction that raised US$965,000 (CN¥6.75 million),[170] 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.[171] 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.[172][173]

Yao has also been a dedicated supporter of Special Olympics. He serves as Global Ambassador and member of the International Board of Directors.[174]

Conservation work

In August 2012, Yao started filming a documentary about the northern white rhinoceros.[175] He is also an ambassador for elephant conservation.[176] 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.[177]

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.[178] 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.[179]

See also

References

  1. ^ . NBA. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013.
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March 14, 2023
ming, singer, this, chinese, name, family, name, chinese, 姚明, born, september, 1980, chinese, basketball, executive, former, professional, player, played, shanghai, sharks, chinese, basketball, association, houston, rockets, national, basketball, association, . For the singer see Yao Min In this Chinese name the family name is Yao Yao Ming Chinese 姚明 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 the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association NBA 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 2 29 m 7 ft 6 in 1 Yao MingYao in 20146th President of the Chinese Basketball AssociationIncumbentAssumed office February 23 2017Preceded byYu ZaiqingMember of the Chinese People s Political Consultative Conference 12th In office March 2013 March 2018ChairmanYu ZhengshengPersonal detailsBorn 1980 09 12 September 12 1980 age 42 Shanghai ChinaSpouseYe Li m 2007 wbr Children1OccupationBasketball player administratorBasketball careerPersonal informationListed height7 ft 6 in 2 29 m Listed weight310 lb 141 kg Career informationNBA draft2002 Round 1 Pick 1st overallSelected by the Houston RocketsPlaying career1997 2011PositionCenterNumber11Career history1997 2002Shanghai Sharks2002 2011Houston RocketsCareer highlights and awards8 NBA All Star 2003 2009 2011 2 All NBA Second Team 2007 2009 3 All NBA Third Team 2004 2006 2008 NBA All Rookie First Team 2003 No 11 retired by Houston Rockets CBA MVP 2001 CBA champion 2002 CBA Finals MVP 2001 3 CBA rebounding leader 2000 2001 2002 3 CBA blocks leader 2000 2001 2002 2 CBA Slam Dunk leader 2000 2001 3 FIBA Asia Cup MVP 2001 2003 2005 FIBA World Cup Top Scorer 2006 Career NBA statisticsPoints9 247 19 0 ppg Rebounds4 494 9 2 rpg Blocks920 1 9 bpg Stats at NBA comStats at Basketball Reference comBasketball Hall of Fame as playerMedals Men s basketballRepresenting ChinaFIBA Asia Cup2001 Shanghai2003 Harbin2005 DohaAsian Games2002 BusanYao MingYao s name in Chinese charactersChinese姚明TranscriptionsStandard MandarinHanyu PinyinYao MingIPA ja ʊ mi ŋ Yue CantoneseYale RomanizationYiuh MihngIPA ji ːu me ŋ Southern MinHokkien POJIau BengYao 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 2 In eight seasons with the Rockets Yao ranks sixth among franchise leaders in total points and total rebounds and second in total blocks 3 Yao 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 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 4 In April 2016 Yao was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame alongside Shaquille O Neal and Allen Iverson 5 In February 2017 Yao was unanimously elected as chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association 6 Contents 1 Early life 2 Professional career 2 1 Shanghai Sharks 1997 2002 2 2 Houston Rockets 2002 2011 2 2 1 Beginning years 2002 2005 2 2 2 Injury plagued seasons 2005 2011 2 3 Retirement 3 National team career 3 1 2000 and 2004 Olympics 3 2 Asian Cup 3 3 2006 World Championship 3 4 2008 Olympics 4 Career statistics 4 1 CBA statistics 4 2 NBA statistics 4 2 1 Regular season 4 2 2 Playoffs 5 Awards and achievements 6 Personal life 7 Other activities 7 1 Commercial engagements 7 2 Philanthropy 7 3 Conservation work 7 4 Politics 8 See also 9 References 10 External linksEarly lifeYao is the only child of 6 foot 7 inch 2 01 m Yao Zhiyuan and 6 foot 3 inch 1 91 m Fang Fengdi 7 both of whom were former professional basketball players 8 At 11 pounds 5 0 kg Yao weighed more than twice as much as the average Chinese newborn 9 When Yao was nine years old he began playing basketball and attended a junior sports school 10 The following year Yao measured 5 feet 5 inches 1 65 m 11 and was examined by sports doctors who predicted he would grow to 7 feet 3 inches 2 21 m 11 Professional careerShanghai 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 12 After playing with the junior team for four years Yao joined the senior team of the Sharks 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 13 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 14 and made all 21 of his shots during one game in the finals 15 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 9 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 9 but the contract was later determined to be invalid 16 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 17 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 18 and the vice president for marketing at BDA Sports Management Bill Sanders 19 Yao was widely predicted to be picked number one overall 20 21 22 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 23 Shortly after Wang Zhizhi refused to return to China to play for the national team and was subsequently banned from playing for China 24 the CBA stipulated that Yao would have to return to play for the national team 25 They also said they would not let him go to the United States unless the Houston Rockets would take him first overall 26 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 27 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 28 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 29 Before the season several commentators including Bill Simmons and Dick Vitale predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA 30 31 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 32 Yao played his first NBA game against the Indiana Pacers scoring no points and grabbing two rebounds 33 34 and scored his first NBA basket against the Denver Nuggets 35 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 36 Barkley made good on his bet by kissing the buttock of a donkey purchased by Smith for the occasion Smith s ass 32 In Yao s first game in Miami on December 16 2002 the Heat passed out 8 000 fortune cookies an East Asian cultural stereotype 37 38 Yao was not angry with the promotion because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese 39 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 40 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 39 O Neal denied that his comments were racist and said he was only joking 41 Yao also said he believed O Neal was joking but he said a lot of Asians would not see the humor 41 42 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 43 Yao finished with 10 points 10 rebounds and 6 blocks O Neal recorded 31 points 13 rebounds and 0 blocks 44 O Neal later expressed regret for the way he treated Yao early in his career 45 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 46 Yao was voted to start for the West over O Neal who was coming off three consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards 47 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 48 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 49 and was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting to Amar e Stoudemire 50 and a unanimous pick for the NBA All Rookie First Team selection 51 He was also voted the Sporting News Rookie of the Year 52 and won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award 53 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 54 and long time New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was brought in After Van Gundy began focusing the offense on Yao 55 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 56 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 57 Yao finished the season averaging 17 5 points and 9 0 rebounds a game 49 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 58 Yao averaged 15 0 points and 7 4 rebounds in his first playoff series 49 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 59 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 60 After the trade it was predicted that the Rockets would be title contenders 59 61 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 62 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 63 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 64 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 65 Yao s final averages for the series were 21 4 points on 65 shooting and 7 7 rebounds 49 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 7 Yao 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 66 Despite missing 21 games while recovering 7 Yao again had the most fan votes to start the 2006 NBA All Star Game 67 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 68 His final averages in 57 games were 22 3 points and 10 2 rebounds per game 49 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 69 Yao and McGrady played only 31 games together 70 and the Rockets did not make the playoffs winning only 34 games 71 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 72 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 73 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 74 75 Yao was unable to play in what would have been his fifth All Star game 76 he was medically cleared to play on March 4 2007 after missing 32 games 77 Despite Yao s absence the Rockets made the playoffs with the home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round 78 The Rockets won the first two games but then lost four of five games 79 and were eliminated in Game 7 at home Yao scored 29 points 15 in the fourth quarter 80 Although he averaged 25 1 points and 10 3 rebounds for the series Yao said afterwards I didn t do my job 81 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 82 On May 18 2007 only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed as head coach 83 Three days later the Rockets signed former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman 84 who was thought to focus more on offense than the defensive minded Van Gundy 85 86 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 87 In the 2008 NBA All Star Game Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference 88 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 89 After Yao s injury the Rockets stretched their winning streak to 22 games at the time the second longest such streak in NBA history 90 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 91 Yao s final averages in 55 games were 22 0 points 10 8 rebounds and 2 0 blocks a game 49 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 49 Despite McGrady suffering a season ending injury in February 92 the Rockets finished with 53 wins and the fifth seed in the Western Conference 93 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 94 The Rockets won all their games in Houston 95 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997 and the first time in Yao s career 96 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 97 However the Rockets lost their next two games 98 99 and Yao was diagnosed with a sprained ankle after Game 3 100 A follow up test revealed a hairline fracture in his left foot and he was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs 101 In reaction Yao said the injury which did not require surgery was better than last year 102 However follow up analysis indicated that the injury could be career threatening 103 The Yao less Rockets went on to win Game 4 against the Lakers to even the series 2 2 104 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 105 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 106 He did not play the entire 2009 10 season 107 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 107 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 108 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 109 Yao s contract with the Rockets expired at the end of the season and he became a free agent 110 Retirement On July 20 2011 Yao announced his retirement from basketball in a press conference in Shanghai 111 112 He cited injuries to his foot and ankle including the third fracture to his left foot sustained near the end of 2010 113 His retirement sparked over 1 2 million comments on the Chinese social networking site Sina Weibo 114 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 113 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 115 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 116 On September 9 2016 Yao was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with 4 time NBA champion Shaquille O Neal and Allen Iverson 117 Continuing with the honours on February 3 2017 Yao s Number 11 jersey was retired by the Houston Rockets 118 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 7 ft 2 1 m teammates Wang Zhizhi and Mengke Bateer the Walking Great Wall 119 During the 2004 Athens Olympics Yao carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony which he said was a long dream come true 120 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 121 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 122 He averaged 20 7 points and 9 3 rebounds per game while shooting 55 9 from the field 123 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 124 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 16 125 In the first knockout round however China was defeated by eventual finalist Greece 125 Yao s final averages were 25 3 points the most in the tournament and 9 0 rebounds a game which was fourth overall 126 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 127 He returned to play with the Chinese national team on July 17 2008 128 On August 6 Yao carried the Olympic flame into Tiananmen Square as part of the Olympic torch relay 129 He also carried the Chinese flag and led his country s delegation during the opening ceremony 130 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 131 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 131 Following an overtime defeat to Spain 132 Yao scored 30 points in a win over Angola 133 and 25 points in a three point win against Germany 134 which clinched China s place in the quarterfinals However China lost to Lithuania in the quarterfinals by 26 points 135 eliminating them from the tournament Yao s 19 points a game were the second highest in the Olympics 136 and his averages of 8 2 rebounds and 1 5 blocks per game were third overall 137 138 Career statisticsLegend GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game FG Field goal percentage 3P 3 point field goal percentage FT Free throw percentage RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high Led the leagueCBA statistics Year Team GP RPG APG FG FT PPG1997 98 Shanghai 21 8 3 1 3 615 485 10 01998 99 Shanghai 12 12 9 1 7 585 699 20 91999 00 Shanghai 33 14 5 1 7 585 683 21 22000 01 Shanghai 22 19 4 2 2 679 799 27 12001 02 Shanghai 24 19 0 1 9 721 759 32 4Career 122 15 4 1 8 651 723 23 4NBA statistics Regular season Year Team GP GS MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG2002 03 Houston 82 72 29 0 498 500 811 8 2 1 7 4 1 8 13 52003 04 Houston 82 82 32 8 522 000 809 9 0 1 5 3 1 9 17 52004 05 Houston 80 80 30 6 552 000 783 8 4 8 4 2 0 18 32005 06 Houston 57 57 34 2 519 000 853 10 2 1 5 5 1 6 22 32006 07 Houston 48 48 33 8 516 000 862 9 4 2 0 4 2 0 25 02007 08 Houston 55 55 37 2 507 000 850 10 8 2 3 5 2 0 22 02008 09 Houston 77 77 33 6 548 1 000 866 9 9 1 8 4 1 9 19 72010 11 Houston 5 5 18 2 486 000 938 5 4 8 0 1 6 10 2Career 486 476 32 5 524 200 833 9 2 1 6 4 1 9 19 0All Star 6 6 17 0 500 000 667 4 0 1 3 2 3 7 0Playoffs Year Team GP GS MPG FG 3P FT RPG APG SPG BPG PPG2004 Houston 5 5 37 0 456 000 765 7 4 1 8 4 1 4 15 02005 Houston 7 7 31 4 655 000 727 7 7 7 3 2 7 21 42007 Houston 7 7 37 1 440 000 880 10 3 9 1 7 25 12009 Houston 9 9 35 9 545 000 902 10 9 1 0 4 1 2 17 1Career 28 28 35 3 519 000 833 9 3 1 0 3 1 5 19 8Awards and achievementsNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2016 8 NBA All Star 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2011 5 All NBA Team Second Team 2007 2009 Third Team 2004 2006 2008NBA 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 139 Personal lifeAfter 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 140 Yao answers questions from reporters October 2006 Yao met Chinese female basketball player Ye Li when he was 17 years old 141 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 141 She is the only woman he has ever dated 142 Their relationship became public when they appeared together during the 2004 Olympics closing ceremony 141 On August 6 2007 Yao and Ye married in a ceremony attended by close friends and family and closed to the media 143 On May 21 2010 the couple s daughter Yao Qinlei whose English name is Amy was born in Houston Texas 112 144 145 In 2004 Yao co wrote an autobiography with ESPN sportswriter Ric Bucher entitled Yao A Life in Two Worlds 146 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 147 The film is narrated by his friend and interpreter Colin Pine 148 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 9 In a 2015 AMA post on Reddit Yao stated that this was not true and that he started playing basketball for fun at age 9 149 In 2009 Yao provided the voice for a character of a Chinese animated film The Magic Aster released on June 19 150 Yao enrolled at the Antai College of Economics amp Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2011 151 He took a tailored degree program with mostly one on one lectures to avoid being a distraction on campus 152 Yao completed his studies in July 2018 graduating with a degree in economics after 7 years of study 153 154 155 156 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 157 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 157 Other activitiesCommercial 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 158 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 159 A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals 160 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 161 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 162 He eventually signed with Coca Cola for the 2008 Olympics 160 His other deals include partnerships with Visa 163 Apple 164 Garmin 165 and McDonald s 166 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 167 Philanthropy Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career including the NBA s Basketball Without Borders program 168 In the NBA s offseason in 2003 Yao hosted a telethon which raised US 300 000 to help stop the spread of SARS 169 In September 2007 he held an auction that raised US 965 000 CN 6 75 million 170 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 171 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 172 173 Yao has also been a dedicated supporter of Special Olympics He serves as Global Ambassador and member of the International Board of Directors 174 Conservation work In August 2012 Yao started filming a documentary about the northern white rhinoceros 175 He is also an ambassador for elephant conservation 176 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 177 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 178 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 179 See alsoList of celebrities who own wineries and vineyards List of tallest players in National Basketball Association historyReferences NBA com Yao Ming Info Page NBA Archived from the original on June 29 2013 Passa Dennis Chinese great Yao Ming retires from basketball Yahoo Sports 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China especially because Yao s popularity and public persona is rooted in old school stereotypes about Chinese culture and identity For example in honor of Yao s debut appearance in Miami the American Airlines Arena passed out fortune cookies to all 8 000 fans in attendance Ballantini Brett March 1 2003 Shaquille O Neil the ugly American From Courtside Basketball Digest pp 6 7 For Yao s first game in Miami on December 16 the Heat honored Yao by passing out 8 000 fortune Cookies the quintessential Asian stereotype to spectators a b Tang Irwin January 3 2003 APA Community Should Tell Shaquille O Neal to Come down to Chinatown AsianWeek Archived from the original on June 4 2011 Retrieved November 8 2010 Yao found the promotion amusing but pointed out that fortune cookies have nothing to do with him He said that he was not angry because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese Fussman Cal December 25 2000 Next Athlete Yao Ming ESPN The Magazine Retrieved July 11 2020 The 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ESPN Archived from the original on April 2 2015 Retrieved March 13 2015 Shaquille O Neal once told me he hated that he hazed Yao a little bit early in his career Vecsey George January 12 2003 Fans in Shanghai Are Voting in the Mainstream The New York Times Sizing up Yao Ming s NBA career impact ESPN Internet Ventures July 19 2011 Archived from the original on July 22 2011 Growing pains SI com AOL Time Warner February 9 2011 Archived from the original on November 4 2012 a b c d e f g Yao Ming Career Stats Page NBA Archived from the original on April 5 2008 Retrieved March 15 2008 Stoudemire Wins 2002 03 got milk NBA Rookie of the Year Award NBA April 24 2003 Retrieved March 14 2008 NBA Yao Ming Bio Page NBA Archived from the original on April 19 2007 Retrieved August 23 2008 Bucher Ric Ming Yao September 22 2004 Yao A Life in Two Worlds p 198 ISBN 1 4013 5214 6 Laureus Winners Archive laureus com Archived from the original on July 20 2011 Retrieved March 14 2008 Team says resignation just one of several options ESPN February 2 2005 Retrieved July 11 2020 Yao takes center stage in Houston s new stadium The Taipei Times November 1 2003 Retrieved August 23 2008 Rockets Prevail in Triple Overtime Thriller NBA February 22 2004 Retrieved April 17 2008 2004 NBA All Star Game NBA February 15 2004 Retrieved April 16 2008 2004 NBA Playoffs series ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 a b Francis meeting with Magic triggers trade ESPN June 30 2004 Retrieved July 11 2020 Bucher Ric Ming Yao September 22 2004 Yao A Life in Two Worlds p 288 ISBN 1 4013 5214 6 Dupree David June 30 2004 Rockets muscle up Magic will build around Francis USA Today Retrieved March 15 2008 Yao Ming gets record votes for All Star game China Daily February 4 2005 Retrieved August 23 2008 NBA Standings 2004 2005 ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 Feigen Jonathan April 27 2005 McGrady Yao want to emulate Magic Kareem Houston Chronicle Retrieved January 30 2020 Mavericks Cruise Past Rockets in Game 7 NBA Archived from the original on March 10 2008 Retrieved March 15 2008 Yao Ming has surgery on toe out several weeks People s Daily December 20 2005 Retrieved August 23 2008 Yao Ming headlines NBA all stars cbcsports ca February 3 2006 Retrieved March 15 2008 Yao Ming 2005 06 Game Log basketballreference com Retrieved March 15 2008 McGrady taken to hospital with severe back spasms ESPN January 9 2006 Retrieved July 11 2020 Feigen Jonathan September 23 2006 As the countdown to training camp begins it s no secret the team needs Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming on the floor as much as possible to make the playoffs Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 15 2008 NBA Standings 2005 2006 ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 Yao Ming has operation on broken foot China Daily April 15 2006 Retrieved August 23 2008 Yao to miss six weeks of NBA season Xinhau December 24 2006 Archived from the original on January 12 2009 Retrieved August 23 2008 Legler Tim January 17 2007 In value Nash looking peerless ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 Yao emerging as MVP candidate China Daily December 20 2006 Retrieved July 18 2009 Zhao Rui January 24 2007 Yao on road to recovery but will miss NBA All Star Game China Daily Retrieved August 23 2008 Yao returns from broken leg against Cavs ESPN March 5 2007 Retrieved July 11 2020 NBA Standings 2006 2007 ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 Western Conference Round 1 Jazz vs Rockets ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 Yao Blame me for 1st round flameout ESPN May 3 2007 Retrieved July 11 2020 Murphy Michael May 6 2007 Yao Blame me for 1st round flameout Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 15 2008 Pierce Damien May 10 2007 McGrady Yao selected to All NBA second team NBA Retrieved August 23 2008 Feigen Jonathan May 19 2007 Changing of the Guard Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 15 2008 Feigen Jonathan May 22 2007 Deal sealed Rockets reach agreement will introduce new coach on Wednesday Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 15 2008 Solomon Jerome May 23 2007 Rockets will actually score under Adelman Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 15 2008 Dupree David May 23 2007 Rockets may benefit from new coach running mates USA Today Retrieved March 15 2008 Yao Ming s Rockets beat Yi Jianlian s Bucks 104 88 ESPN November 9 2007 Retrieved July 11 2020 Boston s Kevin Garnett Top Vote Getter Among All Stars NBA January 25 2008 Retrieved March 15 2008 Yao out for season with stress fracture Houston Chronicle February 26 2008 Retrieved March 15 2008 Feigen Jonathan March 19 2008 Rockets streak ends at 22 with loss to Celtics Houston Chronicle Retrieved April 20 2008 Yao undergoes successful foot surgery NBA March 3 2008 Retrieved April 9 2008 Rockets learn of surgery through media ESPN February 18 2009 Retrieved July 11 2020 NBA Standings 2008 2009 ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 Peterson Anne M April 19 2009 Yao has 24 points Rockets beat Blazers 108 81 Yahoo Sports Retrieved May 10 2009 2009 NBA Playoffs First round Rockets vs Trailblazers ESPN ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 Rockets reach second round for first time since 97 ESPN April 30 2009 Retrieved July 11 2020 Yao gets banged up bounces back to lift Rockets ESPN May 4 2009 Retrieved July 11 2020 Kobe has 40 Artest ejected in Lakers victory ESPN May 6 2009 Retrieved July 11 2020 Kobe s 33 points lift Lakers to Game 3 win in Houston ESPN May 8 2009 Retrieved July 11 2020 Feigen Jonathan May 9 2009 Yao has ankle sprain Game 4 status uncertain Houston Chronicle Retrieved May 10 2009 Yao Ming Out for Remainder of Playoffs NBA May 9 2009 Retrieved May 9 2009 Feigen Jonathan May 11 2009 Yao out but not too down Houston Chronicle Retrieved May 13 2009 Yao s Foot Injury Threatens His Career The New York Times June 29 2009 Yao less Rockets rout Lakers even series at 2 2 ESPN May 10 2009 Retrieved May 11 2009 Move frees up money for moves ESPN July 9 2009 Retrieved July 11 2020 Yao Ming to Undergo Surgery Next Week NBA July 17 2009 Retrieved July 17 2009 a b Solomon Jerome October 25 2010 Adelman has role in new season of 24 Houston Chronicle Retrieved October 27 2010 But he can come closer to doing it in 24 minutes than he could in zero which is what he averaged last season Rieken Kristie December 17 2010 Yao out for season with stress fracture Yahoo Sports via Associated Press Retrieved December 18 2010 Feigen Jonathan January 27 2010 Yao voted West s starting center for All Star Game Houston Chronicle Archived from the original on January 28 2011 Retrieved January 28 2010 Yao Ming s stress fracture and ankle surgery ended his season and could end his career but could not keep him from being voted in as a starting center for the All Star Game next month in Los Angeles Report Yao Ming set to retire ESPN Internet Ventures Associated Press July 11 2011 Archived from the original on July 14 2011 FlorCruz Jaime Hong Haolan July 11 2011 Yao Ming Retiring Chinese Fans Hope Not Yet CNN Archived from the original on July 12 2011 a b Yao tells packed press conference in Shanghai he is retiring from NBA Sports Illustrated Associated Press July 20 2011 Retrieved July 20 2011 a b Rockets Yao makes it official retires from basketball Houston Chronicle Chron com July 20 2011 Retrieved January 25 2014 Yao retires who will be the next Chinese icon News xinhuanet com July 20 2011 Archived from the original on November 27 2013 Retrieved January 25 2014 Scheitrum Kevin Hareas John Martin Brian July 20 2011 NBA world reflects on Yao s importance to game NBA Media Ventures LLC Archived from the original on July 25 2011 Duncan Chris August 31 2011 Yao asks that Hall nomination be put on hold Associated Press Shaquille O Neal Allen Iverson highlight 2016 Hall of Fame class ESPN April 4 2016 Retrieved June 12 2017 Rockets to Retire Yao Ming s 11 at Halftime of Game vs Chicago on February 3 2017 NBA Wang ZhiZhi Bio Page NBA Archived from the original on March 7 2009 Retrieved March 4 2009 Yao Ming realizes his Olympic dream China Daily August 13 2004 Retrieved August 23 2008 Yao bets his beard on China s top eight finish People s Daily August 12 2004 Retrieved August 23 2008 Yao lifts China into Olympic quarter finals China Daily August 24 2004 Retrieved August 23 2008 NBA com Statistics NBA Players on International Teams NBA Retrieved August 23 2008 China sweats over Yao Ming s foot redorbit com April 13 2006 Archived from the original on April 30 2008 Retrieved August 23 2008 a b Game Report China vs Slovenia 78 77 GROUP D FIBA com August 24 2006 Retrieved August 23 2008 Game report Greece v China 95 64 EIGHT FINALS FIBA com Retrieved March 15 2008 Sheridan Chris February 26 2008 Yao to play in Olympics For now the answer is Yes ESPN Retrieved July 11 2020 Yao returns at Stankovic Cup raises hopes for China ESPN Associated Press July 17 2008 Retrieved July 11 2020 Blinebury Fran August 6 2008 Yao carries Olympic torch Houston Chronicle Retrieved February 9 2009 Mulvenney Nick August 7 2008 Yao to carry China flag at opening ceremony Reuters Retrieved August 7 2008 a b Mahoney Brian July 11 2011 On Basketball Yao did much in little time Yahoo Sports Associated Press Archived from the original on July 13 2011 Spain shock China with fourth quarter comeback and win in OT FIBA com August 12 2008 Retrieved February 3 2009 The time is Yao for China as hosts overcome Angola FIBA com August 14 2008 Retrieved February 3 2009 Yao leads China in survival show against Nowitzki s Germany FIBA com August 16 2008 Retrieved February 3 2009 Lithuania end China s Olympic dream with blowout win FIBA com August 20 2008 Retrieved February 3 2009 Statistics Players Leaders Points FIBA com Retrieved February 7 2009 Statistics Players Leaders Rebounds FIBA com Retrieved February 7 2009 Statistics Players Leaders Blocks FIBA com Retrieved February 7 2009 Ching Ching Ni April 28 2005 Working Class Hero NBA Star Nets China s Proletarian Award Los Angeles Times Retrieved March 25 2021 Fackler Martin April 27 2002 Yao Ming Ready to Mix It Up with the NBA s Best Associated Press Retrieved July 29 2019 a b c Zhou Jing August 30 2007 Groomsman Fondly Recounts Yao Ming s Marriage china org cn Retrieved March 16 2008 In Step With Yao Ming Parade Magazine May 22 2005 Archived from the original on October 17 2006 Zen TC Cheng August 7 2007 Yao s wedding unites East and North cultures Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 15 2008 Yao Ming s daughter named Amy Shanghai Daily July 30 2010 Retrieved December 9 2010 Yao s wife gives birth to seven pound nine ounce baby Chron com Houston Chronicle Houston Chronicle May 21 2010 Retrieved May 22 2010 Westbrook Bruce Yao s Life in Two Worlds NBA Retrieved April 17 2008 Westbrook Bruce The Year of the Yao Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 16 2008 Lacy Liam May 5 2005 The Year of the Yao The Globe and Mail Retrieved August 5 2018 I am Yao Ming wildlife advocate AMA Reddit com November 13 2014 Yao Ming voices role in Chinese animated film Associated Press June 5 2009 Retrieved June 5 2009 Chinese basketball star Yao Ming returns to college BBC News November 7 2011 Retrieved November 7 2011 Yao Ming begins college life Global Times November 8 2011 Ryding Paul July 10 2018 NBA legend Yao Ming finally graduates from Shanghai University after seven years fulfilling a promise to his folks South China Morning Post Retrieved April 22 2019 Yao Ming graduates from college National Basketball Association Retrieved April 22 2019 Polacek Scott Yao Ming Earns Economics Degree from Chinese University 7 Years After Enrolling Bleacher Report Retrieved December 28 2020 Kolur Nihal Yao Ming Graduates From College in China After Seven Years Sports Illustrated Retrieved December 28 2020 a b Nalley Richard October 26 2016 Tall Drink of Wine Behind the Success of Yao Ming s Napa Valley Winery Forbes Patrick Dick May 24 2006 Yao Ming s Injury Could Send Reebok Reeling USA Today Retrieved March 20 2008 Yao tops forbes list again but Ziyi catches up China Daily March 18 2009 Retrieved March 28 2009 a b Pells Eddie March 11 2008 Injury doesn t diminish Yao s ability to sell products Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 16 2008 Rovell Darren September 14 2007 Yao Ming s Injury Could Send Reebok Reeling cnbc com Retrieved March 16 2008 Yao Ming Coke s China subsidiary settle lawsuit ESPN October 17 2003 Retrieved July 11 2020 Walker Rob February 10 2003 A Brand Called Yao Slate com Retrieved August 23 2008 Yao Ming stars in Apple commercial basketball365 co uk February 17 2003 Retrieved August 23 2008 Garmin Nets Partnership with NBA Superstar Yao Ming Garmin com April 12 2005 Retrieved August 23 2008 Hoffman Ken March 11 2008 Yao stands tall for McDonald s Houston Chronicle Retrieved March 16 2008 Yao buys Shanghai Sharks ESPN July 16 2009 Retrieved July 11 2020 Basketball without Borders Asia NBA Retrieved March 16 2008 Yao implores everyone to join in battling SARS ESPN May 8 2003 Retrieved April 17 2008 Basketball stars raise 7 million yuan at charity auction Xinhau September 14 2007 Archived from the original on June 2 2008 Retrieved March 16 2008 Yao scores 21 points in charity game Xinhau September 14 2007 Archived from the original on June 1 2008 Retrieved March 16 2008 Yao Ming Announces Launch of Foundation NBA June 10 2008 Retrieved May 13 2009 The Yao Ming Foundation www theyaomingfoundation org Retrieved February 9 2018 Board of Directors Dot Org Retrieved August 28 2019 Rhishja Cota Larson August 17 2012 Rhino Crisis Round Up Yao Ming in Kenya amp More PlanetSave Retrieved January 25 2014 Brought to tusk The Economist November 3 2012 Say No Campaign African Wildlife Foundation June 30 2014 Retrieved June 30 2014 Yao Ming a focus at CPPCC venue China org cn www china org cn Retrieved March 25 2021 Not your average Chinese worker NBC News Retrieved March 25 2021 External linksListen to this article 42 minutes source source This audio file was created from a revision of this article dated 17 January 2012 2012 01 17 and does not reflect subsequent edits Audio help More spoken articles Media related to Yao Ming 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