NBA basketball player Yao Ming is originally from China. He was born in Shanghai and grew up in a basketball family before becoming one of the most influential Chinese players in international basketball history.
Yao began his professional career with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. The Houston Rockets selected him first overall in the 2002 NBA draft, making him the first international player without U.S. college experience to be chosen first overall. His arrival helped make the NBA dramatically more popular in China and made him a major bridge between Chinese and American sports cultures.
At 7 feet 6 inches, Yao was one of the tallest players in NBA history, but his appeal went far beyond his height. He was an eight-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. A common mix-up is treating “NBA player” as a nationality; Yao played for the Houston Rockets, but his home country and national team were China.