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, 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 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.

Now, Yao’s influence throughout China has created a surging fanbase, sparking four prominent Chinese footwear brands – Peak, Anta, Li-Ning and 361 – to sign NBA players as key endorsers.

Kevin Garnett: So listen, though—we had a bounty out on Yao Ming. First cat to dunk on Yao? A million dollars. So everybody was trying—man, we all said, "First C, we all put our hand there." ...

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 ...