Today we’re going to cover the rise and fall of Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming. This player accomplished what few international players had ever done —because not only did he make it in the NBA, he became a superstar in the NBA.
At a towering 7-foot-6-inches, the center player from Shanghai completed a journey from shooting hoops in his local court to achieving the dream of playing in the NBA.
His meteoric rise will be chronicled, as well as his early retirement due to unexpected circumstances. So, let’s take a look at how Yao Ming made it and how he made it so big, and how and why did he retire from his pro ball career so early.
Yao Ming: Rise & Fall of China’s Basketball Superstar
Drafted as the first pick overall in the 2002 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets, Yao Ming made a spot for himself from the get-go managing to average 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds a game in his rookie season. With his massive height and skills with the ball, he earned an NBA All-Star nod in his sophomore season with the Rockets.
Over the next few years, Yao Ming blossomed into a dominant center force, earning multiple All-Star selections. His best career season was 2006-2007 when the Chinaman managed to average 25 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.
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An Unstoppable Force
At his peak,, Yao Ming was almost unstoppable; with that mass height, and big frame, the soft shooter touch made him a nightmare for the defense teams at the matchups. Every defender had a really hard time trying to stop him from scoring. His array of low-post moves and his feathery midrange shot made him some baskets worthy of remembering.
That man ran the floor remarkably well —considering his sheer size— and became one of the best centers of the game back in its time.
Cultural Impact
Yao’s cultural impact is huge, if the NBA had some traction in Mainland China, having a superstar like Yao in the NBA would make Chinese basketball fans yearn for more and attract millions towards the sport, so much so, that the NBA is huge in China.
The Achilles’ Heel
Like Achilles in Homer’s book, Yao had a weak spot; due to his size and the strain he put on his bones and ligaments, the Chinaman had to battle constantly with injuries, sprains, and pulled muscles that eventually got the best of him when Yao fractured his foot and limited him to only being able to shoot some hoops for five games in his final season.
Why Did Yao Ming Retire?
With that broken foot, Yao’s body wasn’t able to keep up with the high performance and demanding physical effort that the NBA’s game standards put upon their players. So, Yao got his priorities straight, he already had made bank playing in the Rockets, had his sponsorship deals, had fame back home, and made a name for himself.
As such, on July 2011 at just 30 years old, Yao called it quits, a bit too soon, with an unfulfilled legacy but a good lasting impression.
The NBA & China: Yao’s Legacy
And while Yao Ming’s time in the NBA was cut short, Yao made history, the man became the communicating vessel between the NBA and the Chinese market, a bond that’s proven extremely lucrative for that organization: Nearly $5 billion a year on broadcasting, and that’s without counting what individual players make on sponsorship deals with local brands.
Yao Ming’s larger-than-life impact —to roughly quote the Backstreet Boys there— won’t be soon forgotten because the Chinese market now loves basketball, his work was remarkable and hadn’t it been for that untimely fracture, the man would’ve kept shooting them hoops.
And while sometimes the Chinese governance can pull some strings by cajoling the NBA into doing things that might go against the grain of American interests, that’s only a speck of what the opening of that market means for a sports organization like the NBA.
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