Chinese star Yao Ming will enter basketball's Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in September, it was announced Monday.
Yao's career was cut short because of foot injuries, but his impact on the game globally cannot be denied. Joining Yao are Allen Iverson and Shaquille O'Neal. Women's great Sheryl Swoopes, college coach Tom Izzo and Jerry Reinsdorf, who oversaw the Bulls championship run in the 90's, round out the class of 2016.
The announcement came hours before the title game in U.S. college basketball between North Carolina and Villanova. The enshrinement ceremony will be held September 10 in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Yao Ming gets into the Hall four years after retiring. Usually, players have to wait five years after walking away from the game to be voted in, but rule changes in December, altered that, as international athletes now only need four.
When the gentle giant entered, was drafted by Houston more than a dozen years ago, it not only ushered in a new era for Chinese basketball, but for the NBA itself.
With that announcement from NBA commissioner David Stern, Yao Ming made history, as the first ever player top selection in league history to come from China.
The 7-foot-six-inch giant would end up playing eight years for the Houston Rockets. He would go on to average 19-points, 9-point-two rebounds and almost two blocks a game during his career.
In his first season in the league, he earned All-Rookie honors -- and was named to the All-NBA team on five occasions.
He was an 8-All-Star. In 2005, his popularity globally helped him set a record for most ever votes for the mid-season game -- breaking the previous mark held by the incomparable Michael Jordan.
A giant on the court, he also cast a very big shadow off it as well, as he helped expand the game to Chinese and Asian audiences.
Unfortunately, his career would be cut short in 2011. A series of foot injuries meant he could no longer play at the highest-level.
The big man, though has remained busy -- lending his name and time to numerous charities, while also promoting the game of basketball.
He remains active within the sport as the owner of the CBA's Shanghai Sharks, the place where he started his pro career, and the team he led to their only domestic league crown.
As a true giant of the sport -- he can now take his place among them when he will be officially enshrined in the Hall in September.
