It’s been announced that Yao will be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame later this year. The video below is pretty cool where Yao says he was ‘surprised,’ and Jeff Van Gundy and Shaq say nice things about him…

JVG also makes the case for Yao’s HoF worthiness to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen in this story.

This video montage is a great retrospective.

This 1-on-1 interview with Gary Chow is pretty good.

Yanan Wang with the Washington Post sums things up well with “How Yao Ming subverted stereotypes and brought basketball to millions“

I know it’s been a long time since my last post since things have been so quiet with Yao for such a long time. But I was blown away with the retrospective that Yahoo’s Adrian “Woj” Wojnarowski was able to get from Yao as he reflected back on his career during the 2016 All Star break in Toronto. Below is the entire podcast, and here’s the link to Woj’s “The Vertical” page.

This ABC news story appeared last week in the Bay Area after Yao visited his winery in Napa Valley. Check it out!

If the video player above doesn’t play the video, you can try viewing the video here.

Yao Ming was in esteemed company Saturday, June 8th, when he was interviewed on stage at the Fortune Global Forum in Chengdu, China. Here’s a transcript of the interview.

When asked who he thought would win the NBA Finals, Yao diplomatically skirted answering the question, but he did say he was a Spurs fan. This is probably due to him playing the Spurs so many times over his 8-year career — he can’t help but respect how they play the game.

It just goes to show that even though Yao retired a few years ago, he still remains a global force as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and de facto ambassador for China.

As the Fortune web site describes, the Fortune Global Forum is the highest-level place for multinational CEOs—and the heads of China’s most important companies— to gain visibility into the emerging new trends, and meet the people that are shaping “China’s New Future.” It represents an unparalleled opportunity to build the key relationships and obtain insights that are vital to positioning multinational companies for long-term success, in China and on a global basis.

Here’s a list of all the speakers at the Global Forum. Pretty impressive names there.

You might remember my post from a couple days ago where I posted some photos of Yao having a conversation with Jay Williams at the Asia Society of Texas located in Houston.

Well, the good folks at the Asia Society posted a video of almost the entire interview, which is very informational, as well as humorous! Click here to check it out, and consider joining the Asia Society — their mission is a very worthy one.

Here’s a link to a video interview of Yao in front of the Houston press yesterday.

If you want to read some of the quotes he provided, you can check out this article here.

There hasn’t been much to report about Yao over the past couple of months, but we finally have a few updates for you.

Last week Yao was in South Korea for the Special Olympics World Winter Games since Yao is still a Global Ambassador for the Special Olympics.

Below he is pictured taking part in a snowshoe relay, which he says is the first time he has tried a winter sport.

Also participating was his wife Ye Li, and international movie star Zhang Ziyi, pictured below.

Click here for more photos of Yao and others running in the snowshoe relay.

The next day Yao and his wife served breakfast for the special athletes.

Click here for more photos of Yao serving breakfast.

In case you missed it, last week the Washington Post published an interview with Yao. They provide a pretty good recap of Yao’s life after retiring from the NBA, his relationship with Jeremy Lin, and the state of basketball in China. It’s highly recommended reading. Check it out here.

Yao is now in Houston for next week’s NBA All-Star festivities where we plan to cover some of his activities here on YaoMingMania.

In addition, on Friday the 15th in Houston at the Asia Society of Texas, non-members can purchase tickets and hear about Yao’s career and his rise to global icon status during a private luncheon. Guests will also get a taste of the first vintages of the Yao Ming Napa Valley Cabernet. Click here for more details.

Today’s print edition of the New York Times published a good piece on Jeremy Lin following Yao’s path in the NBA and China, getting some quotes from Yao himself. Here are some interesting excerpts:

So it was no surprise that as Lin figured out his future, seeking millions on the free-agent market while trying to remain loyal to the Knicks, he consulted with Yao.

This time, Yao said, he was of only limited help.

“Only he knew what he needed most,” Yao said in a telephone interview from China. “He had to make the decision on his own. I didn’t want to affect him too much.”

Lin’s decision to sign an offer sheet from the Houston Rockets, Yao’s former team, and the Knicks’ decision to let Lin go, set off a fierce debate in New York.

Yao, for his part, thought the outcome was ideal.

“I’m so glad the Knicks didn’t match the contract,” Yao said. “Houston is a good place for Jeremy to come to. It’s a good fit because both sides can provide the best opportunity for each other.”

Yao recalled that the environment in a smaller market helped make him a better player. In eight seasons, all with the Rockets, the 7-foot-6 Yao averaged 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks as a center.

“In Houston, we have a very good community and great fans,” Yao said. “With less media coverage, I think it made me focus more on basketball. I think that’s one reason I played so well.”

The Rockets hope that Lin, who is of both Chinese and Taiwanese descent, can continue the franchise’s popularity in China, for which Yao was responsible.

“The people in China are very familiar with Houston,” said Yao, who, since retiring from the N.B.A. because of chronic injuries, has become the owner of the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. “The Rockets have been a symbol here for the last 10 years, and now that can be continued. It’s great for people here. I can’t imagine them being any more excited than this.”

Check out this video with Yao posted yesterday where he talks about his busy life in retirement, including his involvement with conservation efforts…

For more information on the Yao Foundation and its new conservation initiatives, click here.

Big Yao surprised everyone by flying to Houston this week and was courtside at the Rockets-Lakers game. Below he hugs former teammate Metta World Peace, the basketball player formerly known as Ron Artest.

Click here for more photos of Yao at the game.

Click here for a video interview that Yao gave to the press before the game. As always, he was hilarious.

Fortunately for Rockets fans, the team made a great fourth quarter comeback to beat the Lakers.