Yao Ming is a retired professional basketball player who played for the Houston Rockets from 2002 to 2011. He was born in Shanghai, China and was selected as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He was an eight-time All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. He was also inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. Yao Ming is often referred to as the 'Ming of the Houston Rockets' due to his immense success with the team.