Yao Ming
Graham travels to Shanghai to sit down with newly-inducted Hall of Famer, Yao Ming, in his hometown. The eight-time NBA All Star reflects on his latest accolade as a Hall of Famer, responds to those who criticized his election and shares favorites memories of playing against fellow big man, Shaquille O’Neal. Yao, who now owns the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) team he grew up playing for – the Shanghai Sharks – also goes in depth about changes needed in the CBA to grow the sport and his full-time practice scheduling as a young teen. Plus, Yao takes Graham to shoot hoops at the schoolyard where he first took up the sport.
Yao Ming
EPISODES
Yao Ming: I’m too young for Hall of Fame honors
Yao Ming compares his Basketball Hall of Fame induction to the first time he was voted to the NBA All Star Game and says that – at 36 – he was inducted too early
Yao Ming: If I failed, I failed my country
Yao Ming discusses the pressure of leaving China to play in the NBA and thoughts of backing out, even as he was boarding his first flight to Houston
Yao Ming: Chinese sports decades behind U.S.
Yao Ming addresses some of the athlete and sport selection issues China is working through, including selecting kids for the basketball program based on their parents’ height
Yao Ming on taking NBA-style changes to China
Yao Ming recalls the first experimental season of the China Basketball Association (CBA) and offers his thoughts on what needs to change to help the sport grow
Yao Ming on injuries: My left foot is forever numb
Yao Ming share the most frustrating part of his multiple foot injuries and why his left foot is still almost completely numb today
Yao Ming on retirement: “I’m like Tim Duncan”
Yao Ming on wanting a low profile, no drama retirement announcement and what he misses most from his playing days
Yao Ming: China touched the world at ’08 Olympics
Yao Ming recounts the incredible emotions of representing the host country in the 2008 Olympics and what he expects from the 2022 Olympics in Beijing
Yao Ming: Stop killing sharks
Yao Ming on the destructive impact of hunting animals and killing sharks for unnecessary consumer goods, including rhinos and elephants
Yao Ming: Dikembe Mutombo taught me to give back
Yao Ming on a lesson from Dikembe Mutombo, creating The Yao Ming Foundation, building 17 schools and bringing isolated students together through basketball
Yao Ming: Privacy impossible at 7’6″ tall
Yao Ming on how he wishes he could walk down the street with his family without being recognized and how he would go back and tell his younger self to enjoy the average, everyday lifestyle
Yao Ming: Dunking felt disrespectful
Yao Ming on his more passive approach as a player and teammate in China and the post-game interviews after a blowout loss in Philadelphia when he decided to step up as a team leader
Yao Ming: Michael Jordan’s trash talk
Yao Ming on being so nervous the first time he met Michael Jordan that he couldn’t shoot the ball correctly and later when Jordan’s trash talking fell flat as Yao didn’t understand English
Yao Ming: Playing against Kobe Bryant
Yao Ming on how Kobe Bryant and the Lakers’ summer team created doubts he could make the NBA and when he gained confidence by playing against Tyson Chandler
Yao Ming: I’m grateful Shaq was past his prime
Yao Ming says that the first time he played against Shaquille O’Neal was the most memorable, as Shaq’s performance had just began to decline and Yao’s was rising
Yao Ming takes reporter to old schoolyard
Yao Ming and Graham Bensinger head back to the school where Yao learned the game and Yao discusses the embarrassment of missing a shot, given his reputation as the son of two professional basketball players
Yao Ming: Embarrassment of my first NBA game
Yao Ming shares his fears of getting hurt by elevated physical play in the NBA and fighting through a bad first game; taped in 2011
Yao Ming: Racial slur locker room mix up
Yao Ming describes the locker room mix up over a Mandarin word that sounds like an English racist word and the cultural differences that come with drinking alcohol; taped in 2011
Yao Ming: I wish I had NBA championship
Yao Ming reflects on how he is still working to fulfill basketball goals in China, how the Houston Rockets franchise was the right team for his nine-year career and how the team became a part of his identity; taped in 2011
Yao Ming: My worst injury
Yao Ming details his serious injuries, including reconstructive foot surgery in 2009; taped in 2011
Yao Ming: My fight to get to the NBA
Yao Ming explains some of the difficulties and frustrations involved in his eventual path to the NBA; taped in 2011
