Name: Yao Ming

Date of Birth: September 12, 1980

Birthplace: Shanghai, China

Nationality: China

Height: 226 cm / 7-5

Weight: 134 kg / 296 lbs

Sport: Basketball

There's little wonder that the Little Giant (Yao Ming's Chinese nickname) would grow up to be a real giant. Both Yao's parents were renowned basketball stars in China in the 1970s and even his uncles are two meters tall, on average.

With an ideal basketball physique, Yao fully inherited the talents of his parents. Entering a Shanghai sports school in 1989, the nine-year-old embraced basketball.

After nine years of efforts, Yao traced the steps that led him to the China's national team. In 1998, Yao was awarded his first chance to play in the 1999 Asian Cup and 2000 Sydney Olympic Games for the team under former national team coach Wang Fei.

Topping the list of rebounds, slams and blocks, Yao's performance for the Shanghai Sharks in the domestic CBA league was unbeatable in 2001, one year before he joined the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States

On October 21, 2002, Yao signed a contract with the Houston Rockets as the Top NBA Draftee and finished the second best roockie only to the Sun's Studmire.