From Kublai Khan to Chairman Mao, China has a storied history of towering figures when it comes to state affairs. None, though, have loomed larger than the former basketball star Yao Ming, who dwarfed fellow delegates at this week’s second session of the National People’s Congress of China.
The one-time Houston Rockets man, who stands a mighty 7ft 6in tall, was hard to miss among the 3,000 representatives who converged on Beijing for the annual meeting of the Chinese parliament.
Once the face of a public awareness campaign designed to diminish the nation’s taste for shark fin soup, the 43-year-old looked every inch the big fish as he enjoyed the comfort of having an entire row to himself in the Great Hall of People.
A ceremonial gathering rather than a forum for making legislative decisions, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference typically counts business executives and celebrities among its attendees.
It is one half of the annual Two Sessions meeting, which also includes the 3,000-strong National People’s Congress, China’s sole branch of government, which has yet to reject a bill put before it.
Despite the NPC’s reputation as an elaborate piece of political theatre, it has been the scene of some significant moments in the past, not least the formal ratification of Xi Jinping’s unprecedented third term in office in 2023.
Despite his background as a sportsman, Ming is no stranger to operating as part of a big institution. He spent seven years at the helm of the Chinese Basketball Association, a role he relinquished last year ‘after careful consideration’.
Ming began his basketball career with the Shanghai Sharks before entering the NBA draft in 1999. He went on to become an eight-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA player, averaging 19 points and nine rebounds over the course of his Houston Rockets career.
Former basketball star Yao Ming, seen here arriving at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, dwarfed fellow delegates at the second session of the National People’s Congress of China
The 43-year-old looked every inch the big fish as he enjoyed the comfort of having an entire row to himself in the Great Hall of People
Ming, seen here alongside Kobe Bryant at the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, was the tallest active NBA player in his final season with the Houston Rockets
During his last NBA season, he was the tallest active player in the league.
Ming led China to a 10th-placed finish in the basketball event at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
He retired from basketball in July 2011 after struggling with a series of foot and ankle injuries.
Ming is widely credited with popularising the sport in China, but struggled to forge Olympic success for his country during his time with the national basketball association.
Despite some notable achievements with the women’s national team, who twice won gold at the Asian Games, the men’s side missed out on qualification for both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics.
