Wow, Yao!

By Kathryn R. Hoffman

Yao battles with Shaq (the Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal) for position during a game in Houston.

Basketball newcomer Yao Ming is scoring points with NBA fans. On February 9, Yao will play his first All-Star game in Atlanta, Georgia. Fans vote to pick starting players. They chose Yao over Shaquille O'Neal by almost 250,000 votes! "I'm honored," said Yao. "I hope to play well."

Yao, 22, is one of only 16 rookies in NBA history to have a starting position in the All-Star game. Even more impressive, he entered this year's basketball season as an unknown. Sure, he was the Number 1 draft pick last June, but that was before most Americans had seen him play. Yao moved from China to the U.S. in October to join Texas's Houston Rockets.

At seven feet, five inches tall, Yao seems to have been born to play basketball. Both of his parents played, and his mother was one of the best players on the women's national team. By age 9, Yao was six feet tall. China's athletic officials took notice and sent him to basketball school. He trained several hours a day.

At first, Yao was more interested in studying history than shooting hoops. "But as he became better, he started enjoying it more," his mother, Fang Fengdi, told TIME magazine. Soon, Yao was known as one of China's best players. He led his team, the Shanghai Sharks, to victory for five seasons. But Yao quickly outgrew China's new, inexperienced basketball league.

For Yao, playing in America means he will get the chance to compete with the best. When the season began, China's star player didn't look like he would live up to fans' towering expectations. But with each game, Yao has shown fans that he deserves a place at the top.