Yao Ming was born in 1980 in Shanghai. At the age of thirteen, he started playing basketball and joined the Shanghai Sharks junior team. Yao Ming, the first international player to be selected as the top pick in the draft, signed with the Houston Rockets. He spent eight seasons as a Rockets player before retiring due to injury. Yao Ming has become one of the most popular athletes in the world thanks to his success in the United States, especially in his native China. He bought his old team, the Shanghai Sharks, in 2009. In 2018, he graduated with a degree in finance. Let’s read more about Yao Ming’s height.
Who is Yao Ming? What is Yao Ming’s height?
The tallest player currently playing in the NBA is Yao Ming. On February 22, 2004, he recorded a career-high 41 points in a game against the Atlanta Hawks. Yao represented China in the 2004 Athens Olympic Games by carrying the Chinese flag. He is currently the fifth-best choice in Rockets history. Ming received the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award twice. Are you curious about Yao Ming’s height? Yao Ming is 7ft 2in tall.
Chinese basketball association
This was in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). In order to get on the team, he practised for ten hours every day. Yao, who spent four years playing for the Sharks junior squad, joined the senior team at the age of seventeen. In his first season, he averaged 10 points and eight rebounds per game. Nevertheless, the following season was cut short when he suffered his second career foot break. Yao said this reduced his leaping ability by four to six inches (10 to 15 cm).
In Yao’s third season and the following year, the Sharks advanced to the CBA Finals, but the Bayi Rockets defeated them both times. In his last season with Shanghai, Yao averaged 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds per game throughout the playoffs. He also shot 76.6% from the field and hit all 21 of his shots in one game that went to the championship.
His career in the NBA
Li Yaomin, the Shanghai Sharks’ deputy general manager, urged Yao to declare for the 1999 NBA Draft. Yao was unanimously selected for the NBA All-Rookie First Team and stated that he thought O’Neal was kidding. He also finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, voting behind Amare Stoudemire. In addition, he received the Laureus Newcomer of the Year honour and was chosen as the Sporting News Rookie of the Year.
Due to health concerns, Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich quit before Yao’s sophomore season began. Longtime New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy took over as head coach. Yao averaged career-highs in points and rebounds. This was for the season when Van Gundy started centring the offence on him. In a triple-overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks in February 2004, Yao recorded a career-high 41 points and seven assists. Additionally, he was selected to start at centre for the second consecutive year in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game. Yao averaged 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game at the end of the season.
Public life of Yao Ming
Along with Liu Xiang, Yao is one of the most well-known athletes in China. For five years running, he has been the highest-paid and most popular Chinese celebrity on Forbes. It had an estimated net worth of 54.6 million US dollars (387.8 million yuan) in 2007. He has endorsement contracts with many large corporations, which account for a sizable portion of his revenue. After Nike opted not to renew his contract at the conclusion of his first season, he signed with Reebok. In 2003, he successfully sued Coca-Cola for using his picture on their bottles to promote the national team. He also had an agreement with Pepsi.
Throughout his career, Yao has also taken part in a number of charitable endeavours, like the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders initiative. Yao sponsored a telethon during the 2003 NBA offseason, which brought in $300,000 to help contain the SARS outbreak. In September 2007, he participated in a charity basketball game to raise money for impoverished children in China, and he also staged an auction that brought in 965,000 US dollars (6.75 million yuan). Jackie Chan, a well-known actress, and other NBA players Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony, and Baron Davis joined him. Following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Yao established a foundation to aid in the reconstruction of the schools that were damaged and gave $2 million to relief efforts.
Conclusion
Yao Ming took part in the Facebook and PayPal-sponsored 2008 Re-Gifting the Fruitcake campaign alongside Tony Hawk, Nicole Richie, and Joel Madden. Through a Facebook application, the initiative encourages Facebook users to donate to charitable causes. The Yao Ming Foundation, which reconstructs Chinese schools wrecked by the 2008 earthquake, is one of the charities represented at The Giving Back Fund. Troy Murphy of the Pacers elbowed Yao Ming in the face during a game on November 26, causing a gash above Ming’s eye. Ming missed the entire quarter, but there was no foul call. The final score was 91 to 90 against the Rockets.