Yao Ming is a former basketball player from China who competed in both the National Basketball Association and the Chinese Basketball Association (NBA). The player, who stands seven feet six inches tall, is the only non-American to top the NBA All-Star voting. He was praised as “a remarkable combo of talent, passion, humanitarian aspirations, and a sense of humor” by NBA Commissioner David Stern. Based on popularity and wealth, he topped Forbes’ list of Chinese celebrities for six years in a row.
Yao Ming Biography and Net Worth
| Net Worth $160 M |
| Birth Date September 12, 1980 |
| Age 41 years |
| Birthplace Shanghai, China |
| Profession Basketball Player |
| Wife Ye Li |
Yao Ming Early Life
Yao Ming was born in Shanghai, China, on September 12, 1980 to basketball players Yao Zhiyuan and Fang Fengdi. In the age of nine, he started basketball at a junior sports school. At the age of just 13, he applied to play for the Chinese Basketball Association’s Shanghai Sharks junior club. In his first season with the senior club, he averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds per contest. In his third and fourth seasons, Ming assisted in guiding the Sharks to the CBA championships, but they fell to the Bayi Rockets both times. In Ming’s fifth year with the team, the Sharks eventually won their first CBA title.
Yao Ming NBA Career
Li Yaomin, the Sharks’ deputy general manager, put pressure on Ming to enroll for the NBA draft in 1999. He was chosen as the first foreign athlete ever chosen first overall without having played college basketball in the United States. From 2002 until 2011, he would play the entire of his NBA career in Houston. He made a perfect 9 out of 9 field goal attempts on November 17, 2002, scoring 20 points. In the Rockets’ first game against Shaquille O’Neal in January 2003, Yao scored the game’s first six points and twice blocked O’Neal. Yao set a career high that year, scoring 41 points and dishing out 7 assists in a victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Yao announced his retirement from basketball on July 20, 2011, citing foot and ankle ailments.
Yao Ming Wife
When Yao was 17 years old, he first encountered Ye Li, a Chinese female basketball player. When they shared a stage together for the 2004 Olympic closing ceremony, their relationship was made public. Yao and Ye were married on August 6, 2007, in a private ceremony that was only open to close friends and family. Yao Qinlei also known as Amy was born to the Yao and Ye on May 21, 2010, in Houston, Texas.
Yao Ming Net Worth
The estimated net worth of Yao Ming is $160 m as of 2022. Yao won eight NBA All Star honors over the course of his career and 9,247 points, 4,494 rebounds, and 920 blocks were all part of his total. Yao received $17.6 million from the Rockets in his final season, which was the highest compensation of his career. He received a salary alone of over $93 million in total, he made and still makes a lot more money from investments and brand endorsements.
Yao Ming Height and Weight
| Height 7’6” |
| Weight 141 kg |
| Eye Color Black |
| Hair Color Black |
