Yao Ming is a Chinese professional basketball player and is currently considered one of the premiere centers in the National Basketball Association. At 7'5" (2.26 m), Yao Ming is currently the tallest player in the NBA.

He plays for the Houston Rockets in the NBA. He was selected by Houston as the 1st overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft and eventually signed with them on October 21, 2002. In his rookie season, he spoke via his interpreter and close friend, Colin Pine, although he now speaks without a translator. Yao is regarded as the most dominant player to come out of China.

While not particularly athletic, his power provides an excellent method of shooting over defenders. He has an accurate jump shot as far as 20 feet (6.1 m) (he even made one 3 pointer in his rookie season and several in his CBA career) but he scores primarily within 10-12 feet (3.0 to 3.7 m) of the basket through an assortment of hook shots, turn arounds, and slam dunks. When Yao gets position in the post, he is almost indefensible; he is quick enough to get around a defender and he is tall enough to shoot over one. He is among the league leaders in free throw shooting for centers, shooting over 80% for his career. Yao's court vision and passing ability are excellent for a big man. He has great fundamentals along with a great sense of court instincts. Some specific criticisms of his game is that he often has trouble maintaining his stamina and occasionally disappears in a game. However, Yao is considered a consummate team player, often giving up shot opportunities and passing to his teammates. His shot attempts are low compared to other elite players, but his field goal percentage is impressive: he has ranked in the top 15 in field goal percentage for three straight years.

On defense, Yao does not stay put in the paint, because his team's defensive scheme calls for him to chase offensive players on the perimeter and trap pick and rolls. The mobile defense that is demanded from Yao is believed to be a factor in his fatigue. Although he is not particularly strong nor a great leaper, his height and quickness allow him to play effective defense even against the strongest players. His underrated defense allows him to often shut down opposing players, and he consistently holds star opponents to lower than their average points a game.

Although none can argue with Yao's skills in the post and on defense, the major criticism has been his lack of aggressiveness. However, as his basketball career progresses, Yao has shown more and more evidence that he is capable of carrying a subpar team. For example, he has long been the primary offensive option of the Chinese national basketball team, and he led all scorers in points-per-game during the 2006 World Basketball Championships, while also bringing an undertalented team into the elimination round. Also, during the 2005-2006 NBA season, with star Tracy McGrady out for the season, Yao shouldered the Rockets after the All-Star break, leading the team with 26 points and 12 rebounds per game.