As Yao’s career went on, he became a the reference for tall or big, and that became apparent in hip-hop, as rappers all over began to reference Yao Ming in lyrics.

After that, in 2006, another year and hope for a title was lost when Yao broke a bone in his left foot. Then came a stress fracture in his left ankle, and Ming was never the same again.

Yao Ming sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview, during which the Hall of Famer discussed basketball, life lessons and the adjustments needed to play in the U.S.

Yao Ming, president of the Chinese Basketball Association, attends the opening ceremony during the FIBA 3x3 Women’s Series Wuhan Stop 2023 at Wuhan Jiangxia Shengfan Sports Park May 6, 2023, in ...

The squabble has sparked a headache for Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) boss – and former NBA star – Yao Ming and is the latest public spat to engulf a major league.

Ming has to do little more than say his name, and the spot works. Nice touch at the end to have "Yo-gi" appear. This ad took the largest stage as it debuted on the Super Bowl broadcast in 2003.

Ming played all but two regular season games from 2002-03 to 2004-05, but injuries unfortunately took over the back half of his career. He missed 25 games in 2005-06, 34 games the following year ...

Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 center of the Houston Rockets and the very tall face of modern, outward-facing China, met with Sichuan youth studying in the U.S. By George Vecsey ...

Yao Ming, the 7-foot-6 center of the Houston Rockets and the very tall face of modern, outward-facing China, met with Sichuan youth studying in the U.S. By George Vecsey ...