Yao Ming

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Yao Ming
姚明
Position Center
Height 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
Weight 310 lb (140 kg)
League NBA
Team Houston Rockets
Jersey #11
Born September 12, 1980 (1980-09-12) (age 27)
Shanghai, China
Nationality Flag of the People's Republic of China Chinese
Draft 1st overall, 2002
Houston Rockets
Pro career 1997–present
Former teams Shanghai Sharks (1997–2002)
Awards 6-time NBA All-Star
3-time All-NBA Selection
2002–03 NBA All-Rookie First Team
Official profile Info Page
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Yao (姚).

Yao Ming (Chinese: 姚明; pinyin: Yáo Míng) (born September 12, 1980) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the tallest player in the NBA, at 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m).[1]

Yao, who was born in in Shanghai, China, started playing for the Shanghai Sharks as a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), winning a championship in his final year. He entered the 2002 NBA Draft, and after negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, he was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick of the draft. He has since been selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game in all six of his seasons, and has been named to the All-NBA Team team three times. However, the Rockets have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since he joined the team, and he has missed significant time due to injury in each of the past three seasons.

Yao is married to Ye Li, a former player for the China's women's national team. He is one of China's most well-known athletes, with sponsorships with several major companies, and he has been the richest celebrity in China for five straight years. He has also co-written an autobiography of his life with Ric Bucher, and his rookie year in the NBA was the subject of a documentary film.

Contents

Career in China

Early life and CBA career

Yao was the only child of 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Yao Zhiyuan and 6 ft 3 in[2] (1.90 m) Fang Fengdi, both of whom were former professional basketball players.[3] At 11 pounds (5.0 kg), Yao weighed more than twice as much as the average Chinese newborn,[4] and he grew to be 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) by age ten.[5] At that age, he was examined by sports doctors, who predicted that he would grow to 7 feet 3 inches (2.20 m).[5] Yao started playing basketball at age nine, and he went to a junior sports school at the same age.[6]

Yao first tried out for the Sharks junior team when he was 13, and he practiced for 10 hours a day to make the team.[7] After playing with the junior team for four years, Yao joined the senior team of the Sharks at age 17, and averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds a game in his rookie season. However, his next season was cut short when he broke his foot for the second time in his career, which Yao said decreased his jumping ability by four to six inches (10 to 15 cm).[8] 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 for the NBA the following year, the Sharks finally won their first 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,[9] and made all 21 of his shots during one game in the finals.[10]

Entering the NBA Draft

Yao was initially pressured to enter the NBA Draft in 1999 by Li Yaomin, the deputy general manager of the Shanghai Sharks.[4] 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,[4] but the contract was later determined to be invalid.[11]

When Yao decided to enter the 2002 NBA Draft, a team of advisers was formed that was collectively named “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;[12] and the vice president for marketing at BDA Sports Management, Bill Sanders.[13] Yao was widely predicted to be picked number one overall.[14][15][16] However, some teams were concerned about Yao's NBA eligibility due to uncertainty over whether the CBA would let Yao play in the United States.[17]

Shortly after Wang Zhizhi refused to return to China to play for the national team and was subsequently banned from playing for China,[18] the CBA stipulated that Yao would have to return to play for the national team.[19] They also said they would not let him go to the United States unless the Houston Rockets would take him first overall.[20] 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.[21] When the Rockets selected Yao with the first pick of the draft, he became the first international player ever to be selected first overall.[22]

NBA career

Initial years (2002–2005)

Yao did not participate in the Rocket's pre-season training camp, instead playing for China in the 2002 FIBA World Championships.[23] He played his first NBA game against the Indiana Pacers, scoring only one point and one rebound,[24] and scored his first NBA basket against the Denver Nuggets.[25] Yao averaged only 14 minutes and 4 points in his first 7 games, and several respected commentators predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA, including Bill Simmons and Dick Vitale.[26][27][28] Charles Barkley said he would "kiss [Kenny Smith's] ass" if Yao scored more than 19 points in one of his rookie season games.[29] On November 17, Yao scored 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line against the Lakers, and Barkley made good on his bet by kissing Smith's donkey (his "ass").[30]

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 from the Asian American community.[31] O'Neal denied that his comments were racist, and said he was only joking.[32] Yao also said he believed O'Neal was joking,[32] but the comments led to increased media coverage in the buildup to the nationally televised game. In the game, Yao scored six points and blocked O'Neal twice in the opening minutes, as well as making a game-sealing dunk with 10 seconds left in overtime.[33] Yao finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds; O'Neal scored 31 points and 13 rebounds.[34]

Yao shoots a free throw with John Stockton in the background
Yao shoots a free throw with John Stockton in the background

Yao finished his rookie season averaging 13.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game,[35] and was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting to Amare Stoudemire,[36] and a unanimous pick for the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection.[2] He was also voted the Sporting News Rookie of the Year,[37] and won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award.[38]

Before the start of Yao's sophomore season, the Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned due to health issues,[39] and long-time New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was brought in. After Van Gundy began focusing the offense on Yao,[40] 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.[41] He was also voted to be the starting center in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game for the second straight year.[42] Yao finished the season averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a game.[35]

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.[43] Yao averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first playoff series.[35]

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.[44] 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."[45] After the trade, it was predicted that the Rockets would be title contenders.[44][46] 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.[47] 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.[48] 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.[49] 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.[50] Yao's final averages for the series were 21.4 points on 65% shooting and 7.7 rebounds.[35]

Injury-plagued seasons (2005–Present)

After missing only two games in his first three years of NBA play,[2] 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.[51] Despite missing 21 games while recovering,[2] Yao again had the most fan votes to start the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.[52]

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.[53] His final averages in 57 games were 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.[35] 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.[54] Yao and McGrady played only 31 games together,[55] and the Rockets did not make the playoffs, winning only 34 games.[56] 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.[57]

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

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.[58] Up to that point he had been averaging 26.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, and had been mentioned as an NBA MVP candidate.[59] Yao was unable to play in what would have been his fifth All-Star game,[60] but was medically cleared to play on March 4, 2007, after missing 34 games.[61]

Despite Yao's absence, the Rockets made the playoffs with the home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round.[62] The Rockets won the first two games, but then lost four of five games[63] and were eliminated in Game 7 at home, despite Yao's 29 points—15 in the fourth quarter.[64] Although he averaged 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds for the series, Yao said afterwards “I didn't do my job”.[65] 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.[66]

On May 18, 2007, only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed as head coach.[67] Three days later, former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman was signed to replace Van Gundy.[68] It was predicted the Rockets would focus more on offense under Adelman than they did under Van Gundy's defensive-based system.[69][70]

On November 9, 2007, Yao played against fellow Chinese NBA 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.[71] In the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference.[72] 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 was expected to miss the playoffs, but Daryl Morey said he did not expect him to miss the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing, China in August.[73] After Yao's injury, the Rockets went on after to stretch their winning streak to 22 games, the second-longest in NBA history.[74] Yao underwent a successful operation on March 3, which placed screws in his foot to strengthen the bone.[75] Recovery time was estimated at four months. He said if he could not play in the Olympics, "it would be the biggest loss in my career to right now".[76] Yao's final averages in 55 games were 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks a game.[35]

International career

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

Early years and 2004 Olympics

During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony, which he said was a “long dream come true”.[77] He then vowed to abstain from shaving his beard for half a year unless the Chinese national basketball team made it into the quarter-finals.[78] 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 reigning 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.[79] He was selected to the All-Olympics team with his performance, averaging 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.[80]

2006 World Championships

Yao’s injury at the end of the 2005–06 NBA season required a full six months of rest, threatening his participation in the 2006 FIBA World Championship.[81] 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.[82] In the first knockout round, however, China was defeated by eventual finalist Greece.[82] Yao's final averages were 25.3 points, the most in the tournament, and 9.0 rebounds a game, which was fourth overall.[83]

Off the court

Personal life

Yao answers questions from reporters
Yao answers questions from reporters

In early 2007, an Internet hoax reported that Yao was dating American actress Nia Long,[84] but Yao rejected the allegations.[85] He is married to Ye Li, a Chinese women's basketball player whom he met when he was 17.[86] 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.[86] Their romance was first made public when they appeared together during the 2004 Olympics closing ceremony,[86] and on August 6, 2007, Yao married Ye in a ceremony attended by close friends and family that was closed to the media.[87]

In 2004, Yao co-wrote an autobiography with Ric Bucher, entitled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds.[88] 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.[89] The film is narrated by his friend and former interpreter Colin Pine, who stayed with Yao during Yao's rookie year, and interpreted for him for three years.[90] 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.[91]

Public life

Yao is one of China's most recognizable athletes, along with Liu Xiang.[92] He has led Forbes' Chinese celebrities list in income and popularity for five straight years, earning 54.6 million U.S. dollars (387.8 million yuan) in 2007.[93] A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals,[94] as he is under contract with several major companies to endorse their products. He was signed by Nike until the end of the his rookie season; when they decided not to renew his contract, he signed with Reebok.[95] 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.[96] However, he has since signed with Coca-Cola for the 2008 Olympics.[94] His other deals include partnerships with Visa,[97] Apple,[98] Garmin,[99] and McDonald’s (his favorite restaurant when he was young).[100]

Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career, including the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.[101] In the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao hosted a telethon, which raised 300,000 U.S. dollars to help stop the spread of SARS.[102] In September 2007, he held an auction that raised 965,000 U.S. dollars (6.75 million yuan),[103] 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-born movie star Jackie Chan.[104]

Career statistics

CBA statistics

Regular season 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 totals 122 15.4 1.8 .651 .723 23.4

NBA statistics

Regular season Team GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG FG% FT% PPG
2002–03 Houston 82 29.0 0.4 1.8 8.2 1.7 .498 .811 13.5
2003–04 Houston 82 32.8 0.3 1.9 9.0 1.5 .522 .809 17.5
2004–05 Houston 80 30.6 0.4 2.0 8.4 0.8 .552 .783 18.3
2005–06 Houston 57 34.2 0.5 1.6 10.2 1.5 .519 .853 22.3
2006–07 Houston 48 33.8 0.4 2.0 9.4 2.0 .516 .862 25.0
2007–08 Houston 55 37.2 0.4 2.0 10.8 2.3 .507 .850 22.0
Career totals 404 32.5 0.4 1.8 9.2 1.6 .520 .826 19.0
Playoffs Team GP MPG SPG BPG RPG APG FG% FT% PPG
2004 Houston 5 37.0 0.4 1.4 7.4 1.8 .456 .765 15.0
2005 Houston 7 31.4 0.3 2.7 7.7 0.7 .655 .727 21.4
2007 Houston 7 37.1 0.1 0.7 10.3 0.9 .440 .880 25.1
Career totals 19 35.0 0.3 1.6 8.6 1.1 .509 .810 21.1

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External links

v • d • e
Houston Rockets current roster

0 Brooks | 1 McGrady | 2 Head | 3 Francis | 4 Scola | 8 Jackson | 11 Yao | 12 Alston | 14 Landry | 19 Harris | 20 Novak | 31 Battier | 33 Woods | 44 Hayes | 55 Mutombo | Coach Adelman
v • d • e
2002 NBA Draft
Draft Templates
83 • 84 • 85 • 86 • 87 • 88 • 89 • 90 • 91 • 92 • 93 • 94 • 95 • 96 • 97 • 98 • 99 • 00 • 01 • 02 • 03 • 04 • 05 • 06 • 07 • 08
v • d • e
National Basketball Association number one overall draft picks
1947: McNeeley | 1948: Tonkovich | 1949: Shannon | 1950: Share | 1951: Melchiorre | 1952: Workman | 1953: Beck | 1954: Selvy | 1955: Ricketts | 1956: Green | 1957: Hundley | 1958: Baylor | 1959: Boozer | 1960: Robertson | 1961: Bellamy | 1962: McGill | 1963: Heyman | 1964: Barnes | 1965: Hetzel | 1966: Russell | 1967: Walker | 1968: Hayes | 1969: Alcindor | 1970: Lanier | 1971: Carr | 1972: L. Martin | 1973: Collins | 1974: Walton | 1975: D. Thompson | 1976: Lucas | 1977: Benson | 1978: M. Thompson | 1979: E. Johnson | 1980: Carroll | 1981: Aguirre | 1982: Worthy | 1983: Sampson | 1984: Olajuwon | 1985: Ewing | 1986: Daugherty | 1987: D. Robinson | 1988: Manning | 1989: Ellison | 1990: Coleman | 1991: L. Johnson | 1992: O'Neal | 1993: Webber | 1994: G. Robinson | 1995: Smith | 1996: Iverson | 1997: Duncan | 1998: Olowokandi | 1999: Brand | 2000: K. Martin | 2001: Brown | 2002: Yao | 2003: James | 2004: Howard | 2005: Bogut | 2006: Bargnani | 2007: Oden
v • d • e
Flag of the People's Republic of China China squad - 2006 FIBA World Championship - 15th place Flag of the People's Republic of China
4 Chen | 5 Liu | 6 Z.Q.Zhang | 7 W.S.Wang | 8 Zhu | 9 Sun | 10 Z.S.Zhang | 11 Yi | 12 Mo | 13 Yao | 14 W.Z.Wang | 15 Du | Coach: Kazlauskas


Preceded by
Kwame Brown		 NBA first overall draft pick
2002 NBA Draft		 Succeeded by
LeBron James
Preceded by
Juan Pablo Montoya		 Laureus World Newcomer of the Year
2003		 Succeeded by
Michelle Wie