From 2005 to 2011, Yao sustained several injuries and a few surgeries, and officially announced his retirement from basketball in 2011, igniting sadness amongst many at the end of a phenomenal era.

While he continued to perform outstandingly over the next few years, his career was often plagued with injury. Here, you can read much more detailed stats on Yao Ming and his basketball career.

While other teams tried to anger him with their negative promotion of Asian stereotypes, Yao shrugged this off and continued to be his tall, awesome self.Р”Р„s time went on, Yao gained fame for brushing off hazing, scoring major points and being nominated for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award (where he came in second) and actually grabbing the title for Rookie of the Year from now-defunct magazine and website, Sporting News.Р’В In 2005, Yao made headlines for scoring 13 of 14 shots in the RocketsРІР‚в„ў second game, the best shooting performance in the teamРІР‚в„ўs history. He didnРІР‚в„ўt average much court time, scored little to no points and had almost no rebounds to his name. When his career with the NBA officially started in 2002, Yao looked like he was off to a rocky start.

The Rockets responded favorably, making Yao the first international basketball player to ever be drafted without first playing college basketball in the States. The Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), who was in control of the Shanghai Sharks, stipulated that Yao must return to his home country to play for them unless he was the number one draft pick for the Houston Rockets. The Chinese want Yao Ming to play for China When he did, he entered into the competition with a strong team of advisors behind him, but it wasnРІР‚в„ўt quite enough. In 1999, after graduating from the Sharks, the teamРІР‚в„ўs manager strongly encouraged Yao to try out for the NBA draft but he didnРІР‚в„ўt pick up the offer until 2002. He also managed to score all 21 of his shots during the SharksРІР‚в„ў final game. When Yao was finally able to join the Sharks again, he helped lead them to victory in his last year with them by averaging 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds during the playoffs. This was the only year he could successfully play as a senior Shark, however, because a broken foot not only literally kept him off his feet РІР‚вЂњ it also lowered his jumping ability by anywhere from 4 to 6 inches, which is a major deal when you need to jump for the basket. This only helped to further his career instead of presenting a hinderance to his dreams, and at 13 he tried out for the Shanghai Sharks, a local basketball team that had no idea what Yao had in store for them.Р’В After four years as a junior Shark, Yao moved up in the ranks to play with the senior team, where he averaged an astonishing 8 rebounds and 10 points a game in his first season. By the age of ten, Yao was already the size of an average man, measuring 5-feet-5 inches and still growing. At the tender age of nine, Yao first dipped his toes into basketballРІР‚в„ўs warm waters and attended a junior sports school that helped support his ambition. Incredible!Р”Р„s Yao grew to amazing heights, so did his early sports career. This was only to be expected from a baby that weighed in at a hefty eleven pounds at the time of his birth, which is more than twice the weight of most Chinese babies.

ItРІР‚в„ўs an understatement to say that Yao was of an unusual size, even for our Western culture, but he embraced his tallsome qualities and quickly gained fame for his outstanding athletic talents.Р’В But even before sports came into play, Yao was greatly accustomed to being around tall people РІР‚вЂњ his father was 6-foot-7 and his mother was an astonishing 6-foot-3.Р”В¬oming from such a tall family only made sense when you consider that Yao stands proud at a magnificent 7 feet, 6 inches with a listed weight of 310 pounds. Born in 1980 in Shanghai, China, Yao recognized his talents early on and funneled them into sports РІР‚вЂњ more specifically, basketball. Yao MingР”Р„ great example of height-full athleticism comes in the form of Yao Ming, who was one of the best basketball players of the modern age. While some people might feel like being tall has its ups and downs (obviously no pun intended), there are others that gladly embrace their height and use it to their distinct advantage.

How tall is yao ming