A gracious, humorous Yao enters Naismith Hall of Fame

SPRINGFIELD (Naismith Hall of Fame) - Yao Ming, a towering presence in both the NBA with the Houston Rockets and in international basketball with China, has entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The 2.26m giant, never one to seek the glory in his achievements, shared the attention on one of the biggest nights of his life on Saturday when he was enshrined as part of the 2016 class in Springfield.

Yao chose Bill Russell, Bill Walton and Dikembe Mutombo as his three "sponsors".

"Bill Russell," he said in front of a big audience in Springfield, "I will never forget that you invited me to dinner at your house in Seattle when I was a young rookie. That evening, and all of your advice since, really built up my confidence and made me feel comfortable in a new country.

"Bill Walton," Yao said, "You supported me all the way. Thank you for your advice and encouragement. You were the first one who called me when I woke up from my foot surgery. You told me to stay positive. I will never forget that." 

He then drew plenty of laughs when talking about Mutombo, his former teammate in Houston.

"Dikembe Mutombo, I put you last because you are the oldest of the three," he said. Mutombo, 50, is in fact much younger than Russell (82) and Walton (63).

"We played together for five years and had so many memories on and off the court. Nothing can break the bond between us — not even all those elbows you gave me in practice."

Yao spent most of his time remembering important people in his life, and some of the memorable experiences.

The former great told people about his first coach in China, giving them a glimpse of what it must have been like to grow up in the Far East.

"My basketball journey began on the back of coach Li Zhangmin's bicycle when he gave me a ride to my very first practice on the basketball court," he said. "I would like to congratulate you on a great career as you retire this year. So many kids have benefited from you and your work."

Yao made sure to recognize the city of Houston and its fans, too. The Rockets drafted him with the first overall pick in 2002 and it was the only club in the NBA that he played for before injury cut short his career in 2011.

And he also shared stories about former teammates.

"When I arrived in Houston on my first day, Steve Francis gave me a strong high five and a big hug to welcome me," Yao said. "Steve has been the perfect big brother to me ever since that day.

Yao again made people laugh.

"Cuttino Mobley invited me to his home for something called "soul food." I thought he meant salty food. Thank you to Steve, Cuttino and everyone on my early Rockets teams for making me feel so welcome."

Yao, an eight-time NBA All-Star, had a dramatic impact on basketball in China. His career attracted many youngsters to the sport. Yao also played for his national team and had great moments, like Quarter-Final appearances at both the 2004 and the 2008 Olympics.

He made sure to recognize someone else. Yao had glowing words of praise for Wang Zhi Zhi, the first Chinese to play in the NBA in 2001. Wang and Yao both played for China's national team, too.

"He (Wang) was a pioneer for all future Chinese players who dream of coming to the NBA," Yao said. "He cleared the road for us and made so many sacrifices. I learned so much from him. Although he cannot be here today, I want to thank him."

In addition to Yao, the Class of 2016 inductees were the ABA superstar Zelmo Beaty, 27-year NBA referee Darell Garretson, 11-time NBA All-Star Allen Iverson, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, the first African-American coach in a professional league John McLendon, USA's 1996 Olympic champion Shaquille O’Neal, early African American pioneer Cumberland Posey, Chicago Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf and USA'S three-time Olympic gold medal winner Sheryl Swoopes.

FIBA