Yao Ming

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It takes a real man to break down racial barriers, to prove the critics wrong, to exceed expectation. These people make the world a better place. One of these people has arisen from the far country China. His name? Yao Ming. Yao Ming proved everyone wrong and has done more than what everyone expected of him, he made the world a better place.

Yao Ming parents gave birth to Yao Ming on September 12, 1980 in Shanghai China, being the only son due to the Country’s law on family size. His dad, Yao Zhiyuan, the height of a giant, 6 feet 7 inches he stood. His mom, Fang Dengdi, also is a giant, at the towering height of 6 foot 3 inches. These genes bestowed him the advantage of height over people on the basketball court. He only started to play basketball at the age of 10, but he didn’t seem to fit the potential that everyone thought he would have. But eventually he increased his confidence and went to play at the Shanghais sports academy. He improved his skills in basketball, displaying his potential. Like every other teenage basketball player, he began to dream of playing in the NBA.

Yao Ming began to turn eyes as basketball became more popular in China. He began going to American basketball camps as a teenager, turning eyes of many recruiters and coaches. He put his name out in the USA. NBA agents rushed towards him, seeking the opportunity of a life time by becoming the agent of a great potential basketball player. They insisted for him to join the NBA, but his Chinese basketball team and the Chinese government restrained him. But after many negotiations, Yao Ming set himself to enter the 2002 NBA draft.

Yao Ming was the first pick of the 2002 NBA draft by the Houston Rockets. Many players and commentators ridiculed him, thinking that he will be a joke. From that day, Yao Ming played to set the NBA right, to have them know that a man from the east can play with the NBA.

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Yao Ming was under heavy criticism from the start of his NBA career. Yao Ming’s arrival surprised everyone in the NBA, they thought, “how can an Asian man play in the NBA? He doesn’t even understand English!” The predictions on how he would perform varied. From "he completes the Houston Rockets," to the most usually heard, “He will fail.” In the beginning, he didn’t achieve what was expected of him, he averaged 14 minutes and only 4 points in his first seven games, which made the commentators seem right, but Yao Ming demonstrated what he was capable of, scoring 20 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He became an immediate hit after that, voted second in the NBA rookie of the year vote, his NBA career just kept on getting better and better. Furthermore, he started many NBA All Star Games.

Yao Ming does more than what his profession asks for. He makes the world a better place." One of the most "high-profile" athletes in the 2008 Olympic Games, China's 7-feet-6-inch-tall (2.29 meters) Yao Ming has been named the United Nations Environment Programme's first-ever Environmental Champion. "Yao, who plays for the National Basketball Association's Houston Rockets, will work with young people across the world to inspire them to plant trees, use energy-efficient light bulbs, harvest rainwater and become environmental champions in their own communities."(Alternatives Journal Pg 34.5-6)." Yao Ming works with kids around the world, informing them to be environmental friendly. Yet he does more than that, he sacrifices his fortune for the greater good also. "The Yao Ming Foundation held a successful fund- raising event to help those affected by the devastating earthquake last year in Sichuan, southwest China.(Xihuan news agency)." Yao Ming may have become an American superstar basketball player, but he doesn't forget about others. He has compassion for those around the world suffering every day and does what he can do to make their life better.

Not only did Yao Ming change the thought the west has of Asian people, he changed the world. The effect he has on the world is amazing. He transforms people’s lives around the world constantly. He does more than what he is asked for, and he continues to surprise people every day. Yao Ming is an influence that our world is in constant need of.