On November 17, 2002, he scored 20 points, on perfect nine-of-nine from the field and two-of-two shooting from the free-throw line, against the Los Angeles Lakers. Only after seven games, Yao began to dazzle fans with brilliant performances. Since then, he had emerged as one of the Houston Rocket's most valuable players.īefore Yao's initial NBA season, several noted commentators predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA, and Charles Barkley even promised that he would kiss Kenny Smith's behind if Yao scored more than 19 points in any of his rookie-season games. In 2002, after negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, Yao was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. In his final year with the Shanghai Sharks, he led the team to a championship, averaging 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds a game while shooting 76.6 percent from the field during the playoffs. By the time he reached 13, he started playing for the Shanghai Sharks junior team, and four years later, joined the senior team and played for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). sat on the terrace behind them, sitting down with a large group of customers, eating, drinking, and having fun, without disturbing Yao Mings family too much. Only three of them are sitting on it, looking at the distant scenery and enjoying the scenery of the Bund, which is quite pleasant. While growing up as an abnormally tall child, Yao started playing basketball at age nine. Yao Mings family seems to have contracted the terrace. "I'm just one of the 1.3 billion Chinese," Yao told CNN last year, saying he was focused on improving his game.According to the book Operation Yao Ming, Yao's parents were convinced to marry each other so that they would produce a dominant athlete and, during Yao's childhood, he was given special treatment to help him become a great basketball player. Both his parents stand well over 6 feet tall and played for the Chinese national basketball teams.Īs he did in 2000, Yao will represent his homeland this year at the Olympic Games.ĭespite his success, Yao plays down his status as a star and hero to millions.
#YAO MING PARENTS PROFESSIONAL#
But he did have an impressive basketball pedigree. Born in 1980 in Shanghai, to parents of former professional basketball players, Yao has always attracted attention due to his height and, from an early age. Such a financial windfall might have seemed unlikely when Yao was growing up in Shanghai. The three enter and are led to Yaos VIP room, which is customized for tall people. When the Rockets All-Star treated his backup Dikembe Mutombo and assistant coach and former Knicks big man Patrick Ewing to lunch, SIs Gene Menez was there. Yao perhaps has scored best in the commercial world, securing endorsement deals with McDonald's, Reebok, Pepsi, Visa and Apple Computer, just to name a few. Yao Mings parents opened the 100-table Yao Restaurant & Bar in a west Houston strip mall late last month. Yao's athletic success is matched by his popularity off the court, which has helped him win over new fans and millions of dollars in endorsements.Ĭompeting teams often hold Asian-American nights when Yao comes to town, hoping he will lure new spectators, and many pages on the Rockets' official Web site are translated into Chinese. His talent showed no signs of fading in his second NBA season: Yao scored a career-high 41 points February 22, 2004, against Atlanta, and fans voted him a starter on the Western Conference's All-Star team for the second straight year. After a tough first few NBA games, Yao settled in against the world's best players.Īveraging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game during his first season, Yao earned a starting spot (over perennial pick Shaquille O'Neal) in the February 2003 NBA All-Star game and a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. Houston pinned its hopes on the 7-foot-6, 310-pound center. college to be a top pick - and sign him to a four-year, $17.8 million deal. The move allowed the Houston Rockets to pick Yao first overall in that year's NBA draft - the first international player not to play at a U.S. In 2002, Chinese basketball authorities, who control all player contracts and movement in that country, agreed to let the Shanghai native go to the United States and play professional basketball. (CNN) - In less than two years, Yao Ming has gone from being a cult sports hero in his native China to one of the world's most-recognized athletes.