China still searching for next Yao Ming, 20 years after NBA debut
- No Chinese player has come close to matching Yao’s achievements, and the prospect appears even less likely amid simmering tensions between Beijing and Washington
- The son of two former basketball pros, Yao cut his teeth with Shanghai Sharks before joining the Rockets as their first pick in the 2002 NBA draft
Basketball Hall of Famer, business magnate, cultural ambassador – no Chinese athlete carries a richer legacy than Yao Ming, whose towering 2.29m frame stormed into the NBA 20 years ago.
The centre was drafted by the Houston Rockets on June 26, 2002, kick-starting a glittering career that won him a succession of personal accolades and transformed the Shanghai-born Yao into a household name in both China and the United States.
A languid but deceptively agile player, Yao’s gentle personality and wry humour off the court cemented him as a fan favourite and boosted the NBA’s popularity in his home nation.
Since his emergence, no Chinese player has come close to matching his achievements, and the prospect appears even less likely as the league has become mired in simmering tensions between Beijing and Washington.
In 2002, Yao was a face of an increasingly confident and open China, one whose economic rise was being matched by global sporting prowess.
“He brought the NBA into China, but he also took China into the NBA,” said fan Gao Dabao, 30, outside a basketball court in Beijing.
“It was the time when the NBA had its biggest influence on China, and we all used to watch it on TV,” he added.