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Does China like Yao Ming?

Author

Emily Ross

Published Jan 16, 2026

Call it the Big Bang of NBA fandom in China. Yao Ming, however, always has a special place in Chinese fans' hearts.

Is Yao Ming popular in China?

When Yao made his debut as a member of the Houston Rockets, not only was the whole country watching, but all of China was watching, too. Yao became the NBA's most popular player, and his friendly feud with Shaq only escalated his popularity.

What did China do to Yao Ming?

From the start the Chinese government planned to use Yao Ming as a propaganda tool. They treated their best athlete like an instrument to remind the world of China's greatness.

Does China support NBA?

The NBA's business operations in China is worth more than $5 billion, and the league plans to continue showing its product despite tensions between the two global superpowers.

Does China like the NBA?

According to one study surveying Chinese internet users, the NBA is the most watched sports league in the country, even edging out the CBA and CSL. Tech giant Tencent has acquired the exclusive rights to broadcast NBA games through 2024-25 in China, in a deal worth $1.5 billion.

38 related questions found

Why do the Chinese love the NBA?

The NBA has over a million followers on Chinese social media. This makes it the most followed sports league in the country. The NBA has a special collaboration with Chinese social app WeChat. The app allows fans to keep up with their favourite players, teams and live games.

What sport is China best at?

Athletes competing in gymnastics, diving, and shooting have produced the most medals for China. Chinese athletes have also earned more gold medals in table tennis (32 golds) and badminton (20 golds) than any other country in the world.

Is NBA still popular in China?

The N.B.A. has targeted China — and its population of 1.4 billion — for roughly a half-century. China now has more fans of the league than there are in the United States, a country of 330 million. Before the pandemic, the N.B.A.'s top stars routinely traveled to the country between seasons to promote sneakers.

Is the NBA owned by China?

Within days, both Tencent, the Chinese social media and tech giant that owns the NBA's streaming rights in China, and CCTV, a state broadcaster that airs games on Chinese television, announced that they would cut Rockets games from their platforms.

Is the NBA back in China?

The US's National Basketball Association (NBA) has returned to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV after being blacklisted for nearly 18 months following a team official's support for the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. CCTV carried the game between the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz on Wednesday.

Does Yao Ming have a disorder?

The 23-year-old Sun has acromegaly, a condition caused by a tumor that leads his pituitary gland to overproduce growth hormone. It is why Sun is not only so tall, but weighs 387 pounds and has a 50-inch waist, a size that puts tremendous pressure on his joints.

Was Yao Ming actually good?

Though his career was cut short by myriad injuries, Yao still played 15,818 minutes in the NBA and averaged 19.0 points and 9.2 rebounds during his career. He ranks 21st in NBA history in win shares per 48 minutes and 22nd in player efficiency rating (PER).

How tall were Yao Ming's parents?

Early life. Yao is the only child of 6-foot-7-inch (2.01 m) Yao Zhiyuan and 6-foot-3-inch (1.91 m) Fang Fengdi, both of whom were former professional basketball players.

Who is the tallest NBA player 2021?

Who are the tallest current NBA players? The tallest current NBA player is Boston Celtics center Tacko Fall, who is 7ft 5in tall (2.26m).

How much money does the NBA get from China?

About 800 million viewers in China watched the NBA last season, and modest estimates of the amount of revenue the league generates there are generally pegged at about $500m annually.

What country owns NBA?

New York City, New York, U.S. U.S. The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with the competing National Basketball League (NBL).

How many Chinese watch NBA?

The NBA's Chinese business is said to have 500 million fans and be worth $5 billion, per Sports Business Daily. “It's really hard for us in the States to imagine how big the NBA is over there. They follow it religiously,” Wolohan said.

What is China famous for?

Chinese people invented paper, printing, the compass, and gunpowder. The Four Great Inventions have made important contributions to human civilization. Besides the four great inventions, Chinese people also invented many other things, such as Chinese football (cuju 蹴鞠), kites, silk, and porcelain.

Did the Chinese cheat in the Olympics?

The majority of revelations of Chinese doping have focused on swimmers and track and field athletes, such as Ma Junren's Ma Family Army (馬家軍). More recently, three Chinese weightlifters have been stripped of their gold Olympic medals for doping at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

What is the most popular hobby in China?

The most popular hobbies in China are going shopping, reading books, hiking, cooking, Chinese's calligraphy, and many others.

What country watches the most NBA?

1. United States. No other nation produces better NBA talent than the United States.