Yao Ming was born on September 18, 1980, in Shanghai, China's most populous city. He is the only child of 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m) Yao Zhiyuan and 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m) Fang … See more

• Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Class of 2016
• FIBA Hall of Fame: Class of 2023 See more

Commercial engagements
Yao is one of China's most recognizable athletes, along with Liu Xiang. As of 2009, he had led See more

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 … See more

2000 and 2004 Olympics
Yao first played for China in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and he was dubbed, together with 7 ft … See more

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 … See more

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• List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history See more