Yao Ming’s legacy in the NBA and how it all began for the Chinese superstar

One week of training camp, two practices, and an exhibition game were all Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets had to prepare for his debut. It’s an enormous task.

Yao had played for the Chinese national team and Shanghai Sharks for five years. The 7-foot-6 phenom was the first international player taken with the top pick in the 2002 NBA Draft who hadn’t played college basketball in the U.S.

Houston slowed Yao’s debut. He didn’t score but grabbed two rebounds in the Rockets’ season-opening defeat against the Pacers on Oct. 30, 2002. Former Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said it was tough for any rookie, let alone Yao.

Tomjanovich, a 2021 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, coached Houston from 1992 to 2003. “Injury worries us, especially with young players. That can take a year. Then pressure hits, and they don’t get going until later. We didn’t know how he’d do because we just trained against ourselves. I don’t remember how many exhibition games he played or what was happening, but he handled it well.”

The then-21-year-old was under constant draft pressure. He gained U.S. attention. In the year he was drafted, China obliged NBA players to give half of their profits to the government and CBA (CBA).

After that, the CBA required Yao to play for China’s national team, and he only gained approval to play in the NBA the morning of the draft after his advisers and the Rockets guaranteed the league he would be their pick.

He joined Houston after playing for China in the 2002 FIBA World Championships. In addition to being a rookie, the Rockets and Yao had to overcome extra obstacles, which led to harsh criticism. Several basketball gurus said he’d be a bust and gambled on it.

Charles Barkley was so sure Yao would fail that he bet Kenny Smith’s ass if the rookie scored 19 points or more. Yao shot 9-for-9 from the floor and scored 20 points in game eight against the Lakers.

Yao retired from the NBA in 2011 in Shanghai. Multiple ankle and foot ailments cut short his playing career, and he missed 250 games over his final six seasons.

Tomjanovich still hears from his former CBA player. He recently said, “I’m grateful to have been in his life. He calls me occasionally. Thankful, indeed. He’s modest. I loved it. I wanted to keep coaching him, but I got sick. I loved having him on my squad.”

Yao made eight NBA All-Star teams and five All-NBA teams. He helped the Rockets win their first playoff series since 1997. 2017 saw the retirement of his No. 11 jersey. O’Neal, who became friends with Yao after his first season, said he could have been one of the league’s finest centers without his injuries.

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