Yao Ming
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Yao Ming (Chinese: 姚明; pinyin: Yáo Míng) (born September 12, 1980) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is currently the tallest player in the NBA, at 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m).[1]
Yao, who was born in in Shanghai, China, started playing for the Shanghai Sharks as a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), winning a championship in his final year. He entered the 2002 NBA Draft, and after negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, he was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick of the draft. He has since been selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game in all six of his seasons, and has been named to the All-NBA Team team three times. However, the Rockets have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since he joined the team, and he has missed significant time due to injury in each of the past three seasons.
Yao is married to Ye Li, a former player for the China's women's national team. He is one of China's most well-known athletes, with sponsorships with several major companies, and he has been the richest celebrity in China for five straight years. He has also co-written an autobiography of his life with Ric Bucher, and his rookie year in the NBA was the subject of a documentary film.
Yao is one of China's most recognizable athletes, along with Liu Xiang.[92] He has led Forbes' Chinese celebrities list in income and popularity for five straight years, earning 54.6 million U.S. dollars (387.8 million yuan) in 2007.[93] A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals,[94] as he is under contract with several major companies to endorse their products. He was signed by Nike until the end of the his rookie season; when they decided not to renew his contract, he signed with Reebok.[95] He also had a deal with Pepsi, and he successfully sued Coca-Cola in 2003 when they used his image on their bottles while promoting the national team.[96] However, he has since signed with Coca-Cola for the 2008 Olympics.[94] His other deals include partnerships with Visa,[97] Apple,[98] Garmin,[99] and McDonald’s (his favorite restaurant when he was young).[100]
Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career, including the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program.[101] In the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao hosted a telethon, which raised 300,000 U.S. dollars to help stop the spread of SARS.[102] In September 2007, he held an auction that raised 965,000 U.S. dollars (6.75 million yuan),[103] and competed in a charity basketball match to raise money for underprivileged children in China. He was joined by fellow NBA stars Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony, and Baron Davis, and Hong Kong-born movie star Jackie Chan.[104]
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yao_Ming
