Houston Rockets Hall of Famer Yao Ming Earns Place on All Time List

Following a career featuring eight All-Star nominations, five All-NBA bids and a 2003 All-Rookie honor, Yao Ming earned the prestige as the greatest 7-foot-6 player to ever play in the league based on Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey's list.

Only two other players besides Yao Ming have been listed at 7-foot-6 in the NBA, so it was not too hard for the Chinese-born center to be named for this honor. Still, NBA Alumni Shawn Bradley and Tacko Fall deserve a bit of shine for even being considered alongside one of China's best.

In Bailey's article, he'd actually mention Bradley as a great shot-blocker, but even his stellar defense could not take away from Yao Ming's impact.

"Shawn Bradley is  first of all time in career block percentage, averaged at least three blocks in six different seasons, led the league in blocks per game in 1996-97 and logged almost 4,000 more career minutes than Yao Ming. But being one of the greatest shot-blockers and rim protectors in league history wasn't quite enough to steal this spot from Ming, a cultural sensation whose career was cut short due to injury."

Defensively, Bradley may have a slight edge underneath the rim. However, when it comes to offense, it is not even close how much more skilled Yao Ming was compared to Shawn Bradley.

"Ming, combining a 7'6" frame with feathery soft shooting and passing touch made him a dominant offensive player. His sheer size made him a major impediment for opposing offenses."

He made the NBA All-Star game in every season he played, finishing off his career averages at 19 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and a 52.4% field goal completion.

Fans today still recall his infamous battles with the 7-foot-1 all-time great Shaquille O'Neal, as they will go down in history as some of the best big man battles of the 2000s era.

Yao was not the only Rockets Hall of Famer to be recognized on BR's list, with Hakeem Olajuwon taking home the prestige of the NBA's greatest 7-footer. As the list maxed out at 7-foot-7 Manute Bol, both Ming and Olajuwon would give the Rockets two out of the seven best 7-foot players.

After retirement, he spent several years heavily involved with the Chinese Basketball Association, even serving a seven-year term as their leader before giving up the position in October 2024. Under his leadership, the women’s national team won gold medals at two consecutive Asian Games in Jakarta and Hangzhou.