Yao Ming is a retired Chinese basketball player who played in ‘Chinese Basketball Association’ (CBA) and the ‘National Basketball Association’ (NBA). The seven feet, six inches tall player is the only non-US player to lead NBA in the All-Star voting. NBA commissioner David Stern had described him as "a wonderful mixture of talent, dedication, humanitarian aspirations and a sense of humor." Ming was voted to start for the Western Conference in NBA All-Star Game on at least eight occasions, and on five occasions he was named to the All-NBA Team. He played for China in the 2000 ‘Summer Olympics.’ He also led his country’s national team to three consecutive ‘FIBA Asian Championship’ gold medals. He played in the 2008 ‘Summer Olympics,’ and scored the first point of the game against the US. For six consecutive years, he was on top of Forbes' Chinese celebrities list, based on income and popularity. In 2011, he retired from professional basketball due to a series of injuries.