Think of the most influential basketball players of the past two decades. A number of obvious names come to mind. Kobe Bryant. Shaquille O'Neill. Magic Johnson. The incomparable Michael Jordan. However, in years to come, one name may loom larger than any of them: Yao Ming.
Prior to his alleged retirement this week, Yao had a relatively unimpressive career compared to the three mentioned above. He had a few good seasons in the NBA, followed by a period where injuries pursued him, limiting his later success. His retirement this week, at the age of 30 is relatively young in a sport where pros often continue well into their thirties. The Houston Rockets didn't exactly burn up the courts during his tenure, repeated playoff appearances failing to generate more. On the court, he was more notable for his physical attributes (at 7'6" he was the tallest player in the NBA) than for being exceptionally skilful. And yet, Yao will be remembered as a trailblazer for both basketball and Chinese sportsmen.
Consider Chinese sports at the moment. In the 2008 Olympics, the team took 51 gold medals, the best score for the tournament. However, most of these were for more obscure sports, and the country's attempts to break into the top ranks have yet to become entrenched. Only Liu Xiang, who managed the Big Three in hurdling (World Record, World Champion and Olympic Gold), has really established himself as a Chinese athletic superstar. Now consider team sports. China isn't in the world's top 50 football teams. Baseball struggles against the fact that it was banned for much of modern Chinese history. Rugby and cricket, while growing in popularity, are still outsider activities in the extreme. And yet, in basketball, China has been improving consistently over the past ten years, and would expect to reach at least the quarter-finals in both the Olympics and the FIBA World Championships as a matter of course. Domestically, the sport has exploded. Much of the credit can be laid at the door of Yao Ming.
