Report: Yao Ming will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame
At an age he would likely still be playing if foot injuries hadn't ended his career, Yao Ming has been selected for enshrinement to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2016, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Yao, 35, reportedly was chosen by the newly created Direct Elect International Committee and will be formally announced as a future Hall member at the NCAA Final Four in Houston this weekend.
Selections from the 14 North American Committee finalists have not yet been revealed, but the finalists include former NBA greats Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and former NCAA coaches Bo Ryan, Eddie Sutton and Tom Izzo.
Yao, a 7-foot-6 center with a deft midrange jumper, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft and is largely credited for the NBA's explosive popularity growth in China. He played from 2002-11 with the Houston Rockets and was an eight-time All-Star but missed all of the 2009-10 season and retired after playing in only five games in 2010-11. His best season statistically was 2006-07, when he averaged 25.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, but he played only 48 games that year. He missed just two games in his first three seasons but was continually hindered by injuries after that.
