Whenever I talk to someone about basketball, one question I always get asked is “You’re from New York right, so why are you a fan of the Houston Rockets?” Well, two words. Yao Ming.

Yao inspired me to start following basketball roughly 14 years ago, and even though he retired in 2011, I will always be a Rockets fan first and Knicks fan second. Yao has written two books – a biography in 2004 on his rookie season, and “A Journey in Africa (Chinese Edition) ” in 2014 advocating wildlife animal protection.

After reading Yao Ming’s Players Tribune article, I re-read his 2004 biography, YAO: A Life in Two Worlds, last week and found a lot of interesting stories, ideas and quotes that I think readers will really appreciate.

Before he joined the Rockets

On other NBA players

On NBA life

Quotes and thoughts

On differences in China vs US

Yao Ming’s goals and dreams

*Yao Ming now travels around to world fighting to protect endangered animals.

Closing thoughts

“If you were going to have an ambassador for your country in a sport, you couldn’t find a better one than Yao Ming” – Jeff Van Gundy

After finishing the book, the first thing that struck me about Yao Ming is how incredibly mature and aware he was at just 24 years old. He knew that his every move would be watched by millions of people, that whatever he did would have huge implications for the future of Chinese basketball, and that many Americans were getting their first taste and understanding of China through him. Yet despite the unimaginable pressure he was under, Yao made sure never to take himself too seriously. His book is filled with gratitude, humor and sincere appreciation for “the ordinariness of life.”

I could not recommend this book more, regardless of whether or not you are a basketball or Rockets fan. 10/10, would will read again.

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