摘要：YaoMing:ALookintotheLifeandCareeroftheChineseBasketballLegend YaoMing,bornonSeptember12,1980inShanghai,China,isaretiredprofessionalbasketballplayerwhoturnedhead
YaoMing:ALookintotheLifeandCareeroftheChineseBasketballLegend
YaoMing,bornonSeptember12,1980inShanghai,China,isaretiredprofessionalbasketballplayerwhoturnedheadswithhisexceptionalheightandskillsonthecourt.Here'salookintothelifeofthistoweringathlete,fromhischildhoodtohisimpressivecareerintheNBA.
EarlyLifeandCareerinChina
YaoMingwasborntoparentsYaoZhiyuanandFangFengdi,bothformerbasketballplayersfortheShanghaiteam,inacountrywherebasketballwasarelativelyunknownsport.Attheageofnine,YaowasalreadytallerthanmostofhispeersandwassoondiscoveredbybasketballcoachMaGuoli,whowassearchingforpotentialplayersforChina'snationalbasketballteam.
YaostartedhisbasketballtrainingattheageoftenandjoinedtheShanghaiSharksintheChineseBasketballAssociation(CBA)attheageof17.HisimpressiveperformanceintheCBA,whereheaveraged32.4pointsand19reboundsinthe2001-2002season,caughttheattentionofNBAscouts.
CareerintheNBA
YaoMingwasselectedasthefirstoverallpickinthe2002NBAdraftbytheHoustonRockets,becomingthefirstinternationalplayertobeselectedasthetoppick.Inhisrookieyear,hemadeanimmediateimpactonthecourtandwasnamedtotheNBAAll-RookieFirstTeam.HefollowedthatupwitheightconsecutiveAll-StarGameselectionsfrom2003to2011.
Asacenter,Yaowasknownforhistoweringheightof7feet6inches(2.29meters)andhisimpressiveskillsonthecourt.HehelpedleadtheRocketstotheplayoffsmultipletimesandwasnamedtotheAll-NBASecondTeamtwiceandtheAll-NBAThirdTeamthreetimes.ThroughouthisNBAcareer,heaveraged19points,9.2rebounds,and1.9blockspergame.
RetirementandLegacy
YaoMing'sNBAcareerwasplaguedbyinjuries,particularlytohisfeetandankles,andonJuly20,2011,heannouncedhisretirementfromthesport.HehadplayedjusteightseasonsintheNBAbuthadalreadyleftalastingimpactontheleague.In2016,hewasinductedintotheNaismithMemorialBasketballHallofFame.
Afterretiringfrombasketball,Yaobecameinvolvedinvariousbusinessventuresandphilanthropiccauses.HeistheowneroftheShanghaiSharksintheCBAandwasappointedasthechairmanoftheboardoftheleaguein2017.HehasalsoworkedtowardsimprovingbasketballinfrastructureinChinaandpromotingeducationthroughtheYaoFoundation.
YaoMing'stoweringheightandimpressiveskillsonthebasketballcourthavemadehimalegendinthesport,andhislegacycontinuestoinspireaspiringbasketballplayersaroundtheworld.
