Yao Ming Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Yao Ming is a Chinese basketball executive and former professional basketball player who had represented the Shanghai Sharks (1997–2002) in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and the Houston Rockets (2002–2011) in the National Basketball Association (NBA). With the Shanghai Sharks, he had won the CBA championship in 2002, his last year with the team. A year ago, he was named both the CBA ‘MVP’ and the CBA ‘Finals MVP’. From 2000 to 2002, he was the league’s leader in both rebounds and blocks. He was drafted 1st overall in the 1st round of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets. Yao was included in the ‘NBA All-Rookie First Team’ (2003) and the annual ‘NBA All-Star Game’ 8 times (2003–2009, 2011). He had retired from professional basketball due to a series of foot and ankle injuries which had forced him to miss 250 games in his last 6 seasons in the NBA. He was inducted into the ‘Basketball Hall of Fame’ in 2016.

Born Name

Yao Ming

Nick Name

Ming Dynasty, The Great Wall, Beast from the Far East, Ming the Merciless, Chairman Yao, Shaquie Chan, The China Man

Sun Sign

Virgo

Born Place

Shanghai, China

Residence

He splits his time between Shanghai, China, and Houston, Texas, United States.

Nationality

Education

Yao had attended a junior sports school in Shanghai but could not continue further to college because of his playing commitments.

Years later, in 2011, after his retirement from professional basketball, he had joined the Antai College of Economics & Management at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He had undertaken a customized degree program and had graduated in July 2018 with a degree in economics.

Occupation

Basketball Executive, Professional Basketball Player (Retired)

Family

• Father – Yao Zhiyuan (Former Professional Basketball Player)
• Mother – Fang Fengdi (Former Professional Basketball Player)
• Others – Yao Xueming (Paternal Grandfather), Xu Lizhen (Paternal Grandmother)

Position

Center

Shoots

Right

Shirt Number

11 –  Houston Rockets

Net Worth

In 2020, Yao Ming’s net worth was $160 million according to CelebrityNetWorth.com.

Build

Athletic

Height

7 ft 6 in or 228.5 cm

Weight

141 kg or 311 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Yao has dated –

1. Ye Li (2000–Present) – Yao had started dating fellow Chinese professional basketball player Ye Li in September 2000 after he had given her the team pins that he had collected during the 2000 Summer Olympics. They had first met in 1998 but Ye was not very fond of him at that time. Their relationship became public when they appeared together during the 2004 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. They eventually got married on August 6, 2007, in a private ceremony, and have a daughter together named Yao Qinlei (b. May 21, 2010).

Race / Ethnicity

Asian

He is of Chinese descent.

Hair Color

Black

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Toned physique
• Gigantic frame
• Short-cropped hair
• Affable smile
• Clean-shaven look

Brand Endorsements

Yao has served as the brand ambassador for –

• Pepsi
• Coca-Cola
• Nike, Inc.
• Visa Inc.
• Apple Inc.
• Reebok
• Garmin Ltd.
• McDonald’s

Yao Ming Facts

1. With the Houston Rockets, Yao had reached the NBA Playoffs 4 times. When the team had won the 1st-round series in the 2009 postseason, it was their first playoff series victory since 1997.
2. His rookie year in the NBA was depicted in a documentary film titled The Year of the Yao. His autobiography titled Yao: A Life in Two Worlds was published in September 2004.
3. Representing China, he had won the ‘Gold’ medal at the FIBA (Federation Internationale de Basketball Amateur) Asia Cup in 2001, 2003, and 2005. He was named the tournament’s MVP in all 3 of those editions. He had also won the ‘Silver’ medal at the 2002 Busan Asian Games.
4. In July 2009, he had acquired his former club, the Shanghai Sharks, which was facing financial instability and would not have been able to participate in the following season of the Chinese Basketball Association if not for Yao’s takeover.
5. In February 2017, the Houston Rockets had retired Yao’s number 11 jersey to honor his contribution to the team.
6. The same month, he was unanimously elected as the chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Featured Image by Yao Ming / Instagram