The new face of the NBA may be LeBron James, but in terms of sheer worldwide numbers, the league’s international visage is Yao Ming. One of pro basketball’s most intriguing and popular players, he has done what many considered to be the impossible—become a bona fide Western big man without abandoning his very Eastern approach to the game. Ming has carved out a unique place in the world of sports and, if Houston Rocket fans get their wish, the best is yet to come. This is his story…

GROWING UP

Yao Ming was born on September 12, 1980, in Shanghai, China—the only child of Fengdi Fang and Yao Zhiyuan, his mother and father. Just about everyone in Ming’s homeland is raised an an only child because of the country’s restrictions on family size. Thanks to his parents—both of whom stood well over six feet and had enjoyed excellent basketball careers—Ming had the genetics and instincts necessary for stardom on the hardwood. Fang, a center, was once captain of China’s national women’s team. Zhiyuan made his mark with a local pro club in Shanghai.

Ming’s mother and father both held good jobs, Fang with a sports institute and Zhiyuan with a harbor engineering company. The family lived in a custom-built apartment. Larger-than-normal door frames accommodated their unusual height. Their beds were extra long, and their clothes and shoes were also made to order.

Shanghai, the largest city in China with a population of 11 million, was a wondrous place for Ming to grow up. Located on the coast of the East China Sea between the mouth of the Yangtze River to the north and the bays of Hangchow and Yu-p’an to the south, Shanghai (which translates literally to “on the sea”) was the first Chinese port to be opened to Western trade, and today stands as one of the world’s largest seaports. The city is also set apart by innovation and modern thinking. Indeed, Shanghai is China’s leader in higher education and scientific research.

Initially, it was these types of intellectual pursuits that fascinated Ming. Though his parents tried to get him interested in basketball, he didn’t give the sport a second look until he was nine. Though he towered over other kids his age, Ming was hindered by his bony frame and found it very difficult to heave the ball toward the hoop. He was often outmuscled under the boards by boys much smaller than him. In fact, friends used to joke that his skinny arms looked like chopsticks. Fitness was a problem, too. After one or two trips up and down the court Ming was winded.

Despite these shortcomings, Ming’s parents encouraged him to stick with basketball. He played in his first organized basketball game after his tenth birthday, in a league similar to Little League baseball in the U.S. His