Yao Ming, retired Chinese basketball player and former Houston Rockets star, will make a donation in Houston on Tuesday to support Hurricane Harvey relief, the southern U.S. city's mayor said Monday.
Yao will donate to Mayor Sylvester Turner's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, which provides relief to survivors and long-term recovery assistance to local residents.
In an interview with local media FOX 26 Sports, Turner said Yao wanted to be at one of the schools impacted by Harvey.
"He wanted to show his support, and it's not just about the monetary contribution," said Turner, adding that "he's intending to make a sizeable contribution, with the focus being on schools, education and children."
"I was already looking up at him, and now he's even gotten taller in my eyes and I think in the eyes of all Houstonians," Turner said.
Yao Ming, member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and former National Basketball Association (NBA) all-star player, was unanimously elected the president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) in February.
As one of China's most renowned sports icons, Yao landed in NBA in 2002 as the first-pick of the draft, playing for the Houston Rockets for nine years and entering all-star games eight times. He also led the Chinese national team to the final eight at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
