During the 2002 Draft, the Houston Rockets made history when they selected Yao Ming with their first overall pick. He became the first overseas league player to be drafted number one overall. That wasn’t the only unique thing about him; he was also a 7’6 giant who could also shoot. All in all, he was terrifying.

Recently, Lakers center JaVale McGee said Ming was the best player he’s ever had to guard. He said, “Yao Ming for sure. Half of y’all probably don’t know who Yao Ming is. He is a 7’6 Chinese center, who could shoot threes, he would dunk on you, he was amazing. Hall of Famer, for sure. Guarding him when I was a rookie, 6’11… 240, and he was like 300 lbs, was useless.”

In his rookie season, McGee was welcomed into the league by Ming. During a Rockets vs Wizards game, Ming dunked ferociously over McGee and showed him how it’s done in the big leagues.

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Yao Ming: A bully

When Ming entered the league, Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominating center in the league. Just one season back, he had won a three-peat with the Lakers and was the talk of the league. So he thought he could bully Ming but was surprised to see what was in store for him.

Shaq came in to welcome the rookie, but instead got blocked thrice. Ming had just sent a notice to the league that he was not just another rookie.

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Would the Houston Rockets have won if Ming had stayed healthy?

This is one of the biggest what-ifs in Rockets’ history. What if Yao Ming and his co-star Tracy McGrady had stayed healthy? Many Rockets fans believe they could have led the team to a title. They also had Ron Artest as their third star and a solid supporting cast with Luis Scola, Aaron Brooks, and Shane Battier.

But recurring injuries let the Rockets down, and they failed to make it past the second round. They only made it past the first round once in 2009 where they fell to the eventual champions, the Lakers.

Ming retired in 2011, at just 30 due to all the injuries piling up. He made an All-Star appearance in each season he played and got inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016. He remains one of the biggest fan favorites of the league.