Yao Ming

He was larger than life, and on opposite sides of the world, the man who stretched seven-and-a-half feet into space changed the face of basketball forever. Yao Ming joined the Houston Rockets in the summer of 2002, just a few months removed from having led his Shanghai Sharks to the Chinese Basketball Association championship. Already a legend in his native China, the big center was poised to test his mettle against the best basketball players in the world. In eight NBA seasons, Yao made eight All-Star rosters, averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds, and was named to the All-NBA team five times. He was also a three-time gold medalist and three-time MVP at the FIBA Asia Championships. Yao was a cultural and physical phenomenon with the personality to balance the demands of playing in a foreign land on the biggest stage while bridging the social, economic, and political landscapes of two very different worlds.

Yao is one of China's best-known athletes, with sponsorships with several major companies. His rookie year in the NBA was the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao, and he co-wrote, along with NBA analyst Ric Bucher, an autobiography titled "Yao: A Life in Two Worlds." Known in China as the "Yao Ming Phenomenon" and in the United States as the "Ming Dynasty", Yao's success in the NBA, and his popularity among fans, made him a symbol of a new China that was both more modern and more confident.

Yao’s humanitarian career also began early in his NBA career, when he was named a global ambassador to Special Olympics and WildAid. Through his work with each organization, Yao helped shed light onto issues that were very important to him: special needs children and endangered species. In 2008, Yao launched the Yao Foundation, in response to the devastating earthquake in Sichuan Province of China. The foundation’s long-term mission is to provide educational opportunities for children in the United States and China.

Yao’s work with WildAid has made measurable impact. Experts estimate that demand for shark fin soup in China has decreased by as much as 80% as a result of their joint efforts. Today, Yao and WildAid are focusing on the illegal ivory trade. After several years of bringing attention to the issue, prices and demand for ivory in China are now on the decline.

In April 2016, Yao was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson. In February 2017, Yao was unanimously elected as chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association.