What is Yao Ming?
[[File:Yao Ming (2310503171).jpg|alt=|thumb|253x253px|Yao Ming]] {{Chinese name|Yao}} '''Yao Ming''' ({{zh|c=姚明 |p=Yáo Míng}}; born [[September 12]], [[1980]]) is a former [[China|Chinese]] [[professional]] [[basketball]] player. He played for the [[Houston Rockets]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA). He was the tallest player in the NBA, at 7 foot, 5 inches. (2.29m).<ref>{{Citation|title=Yao Ming|date=2025-02-10|url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yao_Ming|work=Wikipedia|language=en|access-date=2025-03-02}}</ref> Yao Ming was born at Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital in [[Shanghai]], He is only child by Yao Tzi Yuan and Fong Fengdi , There are professional basketball players by their family,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.sohu.com/a/478666709_114977/?pvid=000115_3w_a|title = 奥运百星传-姚明：中国篮球第1人 三届奥运永恒经典_比赛|website = [[Sohu]]}}</ref> He started with the [[Shanghai Sharks]] as a teenager and played on their senior team for five years in the [[Chinese Basketball Association]] (CBA). The team won a championship in his final year. Then he entered the 2002 NBA Draft. The CBA had to release him, and he was selected by the Houston Rockets to play on their team. He had also been chosen to play for the NBA All-Star Game for all six of his seasons. However, the Rockets have not advanced past the first round of the playoffs since he joined the team, and he has also had injuries in each of the past three seasons. On July 20, 2011, Yao Ming announced that he was retiring from basketball after many foot and ankle injuries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2011/SPORT/07/09/yao.ming/|accessdate=September 22, 2014|title=Yao Ming Retiring? Chinese Fans Hope Not Yet|publisher=[[CNN]]}}</ref> His father, Yao Zhiyuan, is {{convert|208|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} in tall; his mother, Fengdi Fang, is {{convert|188|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} in tall. She was captain of the Chinese national women's basketball team. Yao Ming's parents were the tallest couple in China when he was born. Yao Ming is married to Ye Li, who used to play for the