6th President of the Chinese Basketball Association
Incumbent
Assumed office February 23, 2017
Preceded by
Yu Zaiqing
Member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (12th)
In office March 2013 – March 2018
Chairman
Yu Zhengsheng
Personal details
Born
(1980-09-12) September 12, 1980 (age 43) Shanghai, China
Spouse
Ye Li
(m. 2007)
Children
1
Occupation
Basketball player / administrator
Basketball career
Personal information
Listed height
7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Listed weight
310 lb (141 kg)
Career information
NBA draft
2002: 1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career
1997–2011
Position
Center
Number
11
Career history
1997–2002
Shanghai Sharks
2002–2011
Houston Rockets
Career highlights and awards
8× 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)
Career NBA statistics
Points
9,247 (19.0 ppg)
Rebounds
4,494 (9.2 rpg)
Blocks
920 (1.9 bpg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
FIBA Hall of Fame as player
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing China
FIBA Asia Cup
2001 Shanghai
2003 Harbin
2005 Doha
Asian Games
2002 Busan
Yao Ming
Yao's name in Chinese characters
Chinese
姚明
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin
Yáo Míng
Bopomofo
ㄧㄠˊ ㄇㄧㄥˊ
Gwoyeu Romatzyh
Yau Ming
Wade–Giles
Yao2 Ming2
IPA
[jǎʊ mǐŋ]
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization
Yìuh Mìhng
IPA
[jiːu˩ meŋ˩]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJ
Iâu Bêng
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 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m).[1]
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 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.[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]
^"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. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011.
^"Chinese star Houston Rockets' Yao Ming retires, ending basketball career". ESPN. July 14, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
^Pomfret, John (2016). The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: American and China, 1776 to the Present. New York: Picador. p. 582. ISBN 978-1-250-16063-8.
^"Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2016 Announcement presented by Haggar Clothing Company". Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. April 4, 2016. Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
^"Former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming named president of Chinese Basketball Association". NBA.com. February 23, 2017. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
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producer Chiung Yao was casting the TV series My Fair Princess, a joint production by mainland China and Taiwan which was adapted from Chiung Yao's own novel...
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