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Most NBA fans, even newer fans, likely know who Yao Ming is. Although the former Houston Rocket had his career cut short due to injury issues, he still left his mark in the NBA as one of the league’s best centers when healthy. His exploits have paved the way for future generations of Chinese basketball players, including Dallas Wings center Li Yueru who used Ming as an inspiration for her own basketball career and into the WNBA, as per Khristina Williams, the host of ‘In Case You Missed It.’
According to Li Yueru, she did not have any family members who played sports growing up, so she looked to Yao Ming as a cultural icon and example of how to model her game as she embarked on her own basketball journey in the WNBA.
“My family, they don’t have any people who play any sports. So I did not watch someone when I was growing up,” Yueru said. “But when I came to the China national team, I tried to become like Yao Ming. America has many, many people who know him. They know he played good in the NBA. I want to become like him. Let people know Chinese people can do some things.”
Ming played only eight seasons in the NBA, but was an All-Star every year he played with the exception of the 2009-10 season when he was sidelined due to injury. He holds a career average of 19.0 points per game, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots while shooting 52.4 percent from the field.
In terms of overall recognition, Ming is a good example for Yueru to follow. She’s in her third season in the WNBA and has settled in to a starting role with the Wings. She began the 2025 WNBA season with the Seattle Storm following a multi-team offseason trade, but was later traded to the Wings.
Since the trade, Li Yueru has appeared in 12 games for the Wings, including nine starts, at a little over 24 minutes per game. She’s been averaging a career-high 8.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists with splits of 46.8 percent shooting from the field, 43.5 percent shooting from the three-point line and 85.7 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
