Yao Ming plays basketball with 3-year-old daughter

Yao Ming enjoyed a relaxing and happy basketball moment with his wife and three-year-old daughter. [Photo:Taihainet.com]

(ECNS) -- Yao Ming enjoyed a relaxing and happy basketball moment with his wife and three-year-old daughter on Saturday at a sports center in Xiamen, Fujian province, according to taihainet.com.

Yao, with his wife Ye Li and daughter Yao Qinlei, arrived in Xiamen for a charity event and stayed at the Xiamen National Accounting Institute.

Yao played basketball in an exaggerated way when the couple passed the ball, making his 1.3-meter-tall daughter laugh and cheer.

Yao said he hoped the exposure would positively influence his daughter. "I just want to let her know how lucky she is (compared with children living in rural regions) and that every thing in life needs to be earned."

Although Yao conceded that his personal impact has faded since leaving the court, his public image still attracts support from sponsors and other charity programs.