Yao Ming (right) with wife Ye Li and Child Yao Ming 's wife Ye Li was a professional basketball player who played in China. She represented her country at the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Yao Ming is a father. HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets star Yao Ming is now a father. The 7-foot-6 Yao and his wife, Ye Li, had a baby girl on Friday at a Houston hospital, team spokesman Nelson Luis said.

And yet, Yao and his wife look like a normal couple strolling down the street with an umbrella on a non-rainy day. That is because Ye Li, Yao's wife, is 6-foot-3, and a former basketball player 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 -- now a Basketball Hall of Famer -- was the bridge between Houston, ... from Texans owner Bob McNair and his wife Janice to major banks such as JP Morgan Chase and Washington Mutual.

When Yao Ming was with the Rockets, he would frequent the cafe. "He comes in when he's in Houston," Ho explained, noting that the star's last visit was during Super Bowl LI in 2017.

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming walks off the court after the Houston Rockets and New Jersey Nets preseason match-up at Wukesong Arena in Beijing, China, Wednesday, October 13, 2010.