Yao's Childhood
- Yao
Ming was born on September 12, 1980, in Shanghai, China.
- He's
an only child.
- He
grew up with his mom, Fang Feng Di, and his dad, Yao Zhi Yuan.
- He
first started to play Basketball at the age of nine.
- By
age 12, Yao was 6-6.
- At age 14, Yao tried out for the
Shanghai Sharks and made the team.
What Yao says about a book
he wrote about himself:
My name is Yao Ming. That's what everybody calls me, but in
America the right way would be to say Ming Yao, because Yao is my
family name. My dad is also a Yao ¡ª Yao Zhi Yuan - but not
my mom
Not many people have tried to do what I am doing, to be part of America
and China at the same time. At least not many have tried to do it with
so many people watching. One reason is that nobody was allowed to try
before. Maybe that's the biggest change of all. Maybe that's an
important lesson too -- that, with time, everything is possible