So Yao helped usher in a new beginning for basketball in this country. As mentioned he was an 8-time all-star, and was the first player born outside of the United States to lead the NBA in voting for the mid-season exhibition. 

2016 class of inductees into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Yao Ming of China speaks during a press conference at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Sept. 8, 2016. Chinese basketball star Yao Ming and his Class of 2016 Hall of Fame made their debut Thursday with orange inductee jackets for the upcoming Enshrinement Ceremony here. The enshrinement ceremony will be held on Sept. 9, 2016. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

Yao, was born in Shanghai and started playing for the Shanghai Sharks as a teen, where he suited up for the squad for five years, leading them to their only CBA title in his final year.

Yao was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets in the 2002 NBA draft. He reached the NBA Playoffs four times, and helped the Rockets win a first-round series in the 2009 post season, their first play-off series victory since 1997.

Yao is one of China's best-known athletes, signing sponsorship deals with several major companies. His rookie year in the NBA, he was the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao.

He also played for China at the Summer Olympics, the first time was at the 2000 Sydney Games. During the 2004 Athens Olympics, he carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony, and led the team into the quarter-finals.

Yao led China to three straight Asian titles, winning in 2001, 2003 and 2005. He was MVP of all three tournaments.

Yao would start to suffer through injuries, and his fourth year in the NBA he missed 21 games trying to recover from a big toe injury. Despite that he led the voting for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.

In July 2011, Yao announced his retirement from professional basketball because of a series of foot and ankle injuries which forced him to miss 250 games in his last six seasons. In eight seasons with the Rockets, Yao ranks sixth among franchise leaders in points and rebounds, and second in blocks.