MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on My Mind) - I have decided to start a new series here on my column, and I'll call it my Asian Legends Series featuring ten of the most influential Asian players from ten Asian countries.

In the first part, I highlighted the Lebanese Tiger himself, Fadi El Khatib, but for this second part we will move to East Asia and focus on perhaps the most iconic Asian basketball player in history, China's Yao Ming.

Born on September 12, 1980 in the sprawling metropolis of Shanghai, Yao is currently done with his playing years, choosing instead to make his moves behind the scenes as the chairman of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Before becoming China's preeminent basketball executive, however, Yao put the moves on a gauntlet of opponents as one of the top centers on the planet.

Standing an imposing 7ft 6in/2.29m, Yao used basketball to become one of China's modern day mainstream cultural ambassadors. He first played for his hometown Shanghai Sharks team in the CBA before being drafted by the Houston Rockets as the top overall pick in 2002.

He played a total of eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), selected for the NBA All-Star Game in each of those seasons, played a total of 28 NBA Playoff games and was included in the All-NBA Team five times.

By all intents and purposes, he ended his career as the most successful Asian-born player to ever see action in the NBA. Yao was such a magnet for stories that his rookie season in the NBA was documented in the film "The Year of the Yao," while he also co-wrote an autobiography entitled "Yao: A Life in Two Worlds."

With his achievements and character, Yao has become an icon for China, symbolizing the country's emergence into the modern age and its rise as an influential global mover.

Not surprisingly, Yao was included in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame four years ago alongside big man rival Shaquille O'Neal and super scorer Allen Iverson. A year after, he became CBA chairman.

Apart from his success in the CBA and the NBA, Yao was also a big reason (literally and figuratively) for China's continued dominance in the Asian basketball scene and their consistent presence at world level competitions.

Yao first played at the senior level back in 2000, but the first time he actually put on a China national team kit was three years prior in 1997 during the FIBA U21 World Championship in Melbourne, Australia.

Yao, who was just 16 years old at that time, played alongside future national team stalwarts Li Nan and Guo Shiqiang. They played seven games in the competition, though they finished without a single win. Yao was ranged against future NBA players Daniel Santiago (Puerto Rico), Andre Miller (USA), Pat Garrity (USA) and Brad Miller (USA), averaging 6.2 points and 1.6 rebounds per game while shooting 66.7% from the field.

Yao returned to the national team in 2000 during the Athens Olympic Games, where he formed a fearsome twin tower pairing with Wang Zhizhi. Together, Yao and Wang averaged a combined 24.0 points per game as China tallied two wins in six games. Yao had 8 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in a win over New Zealand, while he recorded 6 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in an upset victory over fancied Italy. China did not make it to the next round, but they finished among the top ten teams overall.

He would see action in his first FIBA Asia Cup the following year in 2001, leading China to an eight-game sweep en route to their first Asia Cup title of the new millennium. Yao was an unstoppable force in the middle for China, averaging 14.0 points and being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Yao's production both in the CBA and in international competitions attracted a lot of attention from the NBA, which eventually resulted in his being drafted number one overall by the Houston Rockets on June 26, 2002. A few months after the draft, Yao once more suited up for China at the 2002 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Indianapolis, Indiana. In that competition, Yao stood out anew, finishing third overall in scoring with 21.0 points per game, which was enough for him to make it to the FIBA Basketball World Cup All-Tournament Team together with New Zealand's Pero Cameron and NBA stars Manu Ginobili (Argentina), Peja Stojakovic (FR Yugoslavia) and Dirk Nowitzki (Germany).

In 2003, Yao returned to the FIBA Asia Cup as China were aiming to defend their throne and win a third straight Asia Cup crown. To nobody's surprise, Yao was a force to be reckoned with in Harbin, China, putting up 22.9 points per game as the Chinese won each of their eight assignments in lopsided fashion.

2004 was another huge year for Yao as he returned to the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. This was a landmark campaign for China as they advanced to the quarter-finals after memorable triumphs over New Zealand (69-62) and Serbia and Montenegro (67-66). They eventually finished at eighth place overall, with Yao finishing third overall in scoring (20.7 points per game) and leading the entire field in rebounding (9.3 rebounds per game). There was no question anymore regarding Yao's status as one of the best centers on the planet.

Yao would play in his last FIBA Asia Cup the following year in 2005, again leading from the front as China pocketed their fourth straight Asia Cup title after another eight-game sweep in Doha, Qatar. After Yao's farewell Asia Cup appearance, it would take six years before China would again ascend to the top of the Asia Cup ladder in 2011.

In the 2006 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Japan, Yao made himself available for the national team again, helping China notch two victories against four losses and finishing at ninth place overall. Yao scored in double-figures every game, including a 36-point explosion as China scraped past Slovenia, 78-77, to advance to the knockout stage, where they lost to Greece, 95-64. Yao didn't make it to the All-Tournament Team, but he did lead the entire tournament in scoring with 25.3 points per contest.

Yao's final performance on the world stage took place in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. With Yao carrying the national team, China went on to win two games in the group stage and advance to the knockout round, where they got the boot from Lithuania, 94-68. China finished eighth overall in the Olympic Games' Men's Basketball Tournament, with Yao finishing second overall in scoring (19.0 points per game), third overall in rebounding (8.2 rebounds per game) and fourth overall in blocks (1.5 blocks per game).

Aside from those tournaments, Yao also played for China in the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Korea. In that competition, Yao helped China win their first six games in convincing fashion before they got upset in the Final by home team Korea, 102-100. Yao had 23 points and 22 rebounds in the Final despite the loss, though he would never see action in any Asian Games ever again.

Yao retired from the NBA in 2011, citing foot and ankle injuries that have hampered his performance in the league. After Yao's retirement, the late NBA Commissioner David Stern referred to the gentle giant as a "bridge between China and America." He was then inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 with his jersey number 11 retired by the Houston Rockets the following year in 2017.

To this day, Yao remains one of China's most recognizable sports and cultural icons. His list of sponsorship deals is among the longest of any Chinese athlete, and he is also noted for his active participation in many charity pursuits like the Basketball Without Borders program, his personal Yao Ming Foundation and even his role as an animal conservation advocate.

In 2009, Yao officially bought his former CBA club team, the Shanghai Sharks, saving them from financial strain, and just three years ago was unanimously named the new CBA chairman.

Despite no longer wearing his sneakers on the hardwood, Yao remains a giant in the Chinese and global game, serving as an ambassador of everything good the game has to offer to the world.

Enzo Flojo

FIBA

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