Regardless of hypothetical scenarios, Ming's actual influence went beyond the game. When he entered the NBA as the first overall pick in 2002, Yao became the face of basketball in China, bridging ...

Aside from Yao, two other Chinese hoopsters already play in the NBA: Mengke Bateer, a muscle-bound 6-ft. 11-in. reserve center with the Toronto Raptors, and Wang Zhizhi, a lithe, 7-ft. 1-in ...

Yao's wife Ye Li and their 14-month-old daughter, Yao Qinlei, and Yao's parents, Yao Zhiyuan and Fang Fengdi, were in the room. Qinlei was dressed in a red qipao, a traditional Chinese dress.

Yao Ming joins Allen Iverson in this year’s Hall of Fame class. As a numbers guy, I can see the frustration, but the Hall is about more than numbers.

This will be the NBA's fifth set of preseason games in China and the second involving the Rockets, who drafted Yao with the No. 1 overall pick in 2002. They took part in the inaugural China games ...