Totals Bold indicates league leader. Advanced Bold indicates league leader. Multiply by 2. Playoffs Series. Appearances on Leaderboards, Awards, and Honors. More Ming Pages.
Full Site Menu Return to Top. In the News : L. James , K. Durant , J. Embiid , J. Harden , S. Curry , L. All-Time Greats : E. Hayes , J. Stockton , H. Olajuwon , W. Chamberlain , D. Schayes , J. Active Greats : L. Ming became an aspiring wine aficionado and began to learn about the process of winemaking and appreciated its artisan and natural origins.
His interest in wine reflected China's growing interest in the beverage. According to a study by Vinexpo, an organizer of international trade fairs, the Chinese drink 1. China ranks 5th in the world, behind the Americans, French, Italians and Germans.
Winemakers, taught by their mentors before them, age them in oak barrels and steel tanks, and blend them to their liking. Each bottle is handcrafted and unique. Ming visited Napa for the first time in and met numerous winemakers and industry experts, learning more about the generational and communal nature of Napa Valley. This inspired him to create a winery of his own.
Yao managed to make up for this by outvoting O'Neal in paper balloting. Following the All-Star break in , Yao's play went downhill, as mental fatigue and physical tiredness took their toll. Despite hitting what writers the "rookie wall", Yao finished the season averaging Before the start of Yao's sophomore season, the Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich had resigned due to health issues and long time New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was brought in.
Van Gundy ran a slower offense with a higher emphasis on Yao. As a result, Yao averaged His improvement was showcased by his 16 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes in his second All-Star game. Yao was also instrumental in helping the Rockets claim the seventh seed in the —04 Playoffs.
Despite his efforts, the team was eliminated by the Lakers in the first round, as the Rockets won, only one game. Yao's averages in his first playoff series were 15 points and 7. During the Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony, fulfilling his lifelong dream. He then famously vowed to abstain from shaving his beard for half a year unless the Chinese national basketball team made it into the quarter-finals.
After several sub-par games in which China lost 58—83, 57—82, and 52—89 against Spain, Argentina and Italy respectively, they came back with a miraculous 67—66 win over reigning world champions Serbia and Montenegro; Yao carried the team with 27 points, and hit two free throws with less than a minute left that proved to be the winning margin.
He was selected to the All-Olympics team with his dominating performance, averaging In —05, his third season in the NBA, Yao had another impressive year, leading the Rockets along with offseason acquisition Tracy McGrady to their second straight playoff appearance. On March 11, , Yao logged an impressive double-double game against the Phoenix Suns in which he scored 27 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots.
He was voted as a Western Conference All-Star in February after shattering the record for most All-Star votes with 2,,, breaking Michael Jordan 's previous record. Although players his size have historically been unreliable, Yao had been very durable during his first three seasons in the NBA. He missed only two games in three years up till , but, twenty-two games into his fourth season Yao was forced onto the inactive list for an extended period for the first time in his career due to an acute case of osteomyelitis in the big toe on his left foot.
The toe had been giving him trouble since its nail had fallen off in the preseason, and Yao blamed Danny Fortson for aggravating it in a game against the Sonics in Seattle. On December 18, , with the rest of the team staying in Los Angeles to play the Lakers, Yao returned to Houston to have surgery performed on the toe.
He was placed on the inactive list and missed a total of 21 games, returning to the lineup on January After the injury, Yao became noticeably more active and agressive, and this new found agility allowed him to be more aggressive in the low block on the offensive end while avoiding foul trouble on defense.
With his increased time on the court, along with his teammate Tracy McGrady 's absence because of chronic back troubles, Yao became the primary option for the Rockets at the offensive end. In the 25 games after the All-Star break, Yao averaged His final averages in 57 games were However, before the season ended, he suffered another major injury in a game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, - an accidental collision with opposing center Mehmet Okur left him with a broken bone in his left foot.
The injury required fully 6 months of rest, which left some in doubt as to whether he would play in the FIBA World Championship.
However, Yao has made rapid progress, and he carried the Chinese national team to the knockout stage of the World Championships, but was then defeated by Greece in the first round. While not particularly athletic, his height provides an excellent method of shooting over defenders. He has an accurate jump shot as far as 20 feet 6. 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. Yao's court vision and passing ability are excellent for a big man.
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