Yao Ming- environmentalist extraordinaire

Yao Ming was born in Shanghai in 1980, to two professional Chinese basketball players. At 7'6", or 229 centimeters, he was the third tallest player in NBA history, behind only Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan. By the time he was 13 years old he was playing with the junior team of the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. At the age of 17 he joined the senior team and four years later, 2001-2 season, he led the team to their first ever CBA title, averaging 32.4 points per game. Yao's initial exposure to the NBA occurred during the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

He surprised many critics with his first games, and was fast becoming an international fan favorite, as he broke Michael Jordan's record for votes received. In July 2011 Yao announced his retirement from the NBA due to recurring problems in his left foot. Yao was nominated for consideration for the Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor- bypassing the five-year waiting period for consideration as a player- but he requested that the Hall of Fame delay the nomination.

Yao continues giving back to his homeland(s) (He now lives in America for most of the year) after his retirement, and his Foundation continues to raise money to help the victims of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, after giving two million yuan in the immediate aftermath. He also purchased his former team, the Shanghai Sharks, in July 2009 to save them from bankruptcy. He continuously works to raise awareness of endangered species and even went as far as to forbid shark fin soup at his wedding to women's basketball player Ye Li in 2007. Yao has been saying no to shark fin soup since 2006 when he was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for wildlife protection. "Shark's are friends of human beings. They are not our food." Since his retirement he has become a surprise international force in the field of wildlife protection, and he is using his fame to highlight the plight faced by sharks and bears who are 'farmed' for bile. In 2011 he joined forces with Richard Branson and his non-profit foundation Virgin Unite, in a global campaign to save sharks. They filmed public service announcements in support of WildAid's shark campaign, and highlighted the devastating effects the increased demand for shark fin soup is having on global shark populations. You can see these videos, and find more info here.

Most recently he went to Houston Zoo, as part of his continuing effort to educate young people about the importance of conservationism. He is part of a massive campaign by the conservation charity WildAid, and has traveled through Africa to see and document the crisis facing elephants and rhinos in the wild. With elephant and rhinoceros poaching on the rise, Yao is also focusing his energy on the buyers of the ivory rather than just conservationism. WildAid states that they estimate the illegal wildlife trade to be worth over $10 billion a year. Although hundreds of millions are spent on conservation, the organization states that virtually nothing is being done to stem the demand for animal products. 'When the buying stops, the killing can too.' Yao echoes this sentiment as he is targeting the rising wealthy in China, but he admits that the laws are just not strict enough yet. "The most effective thing you can do to counter this kind of situation is to raise people's awareness. Eliminate the demand for rhino horn and ivory right at the source. That's what I want to do." Besides sculpting the ivory into art, it is also used in traditional Chinese medicine for a variety of ailments, all completely bogus according to scientific studies.

He also founded the Yao Ming Foundation in June 2008 as a direct response to the Sichuan earthquake, but the foundation also works to 'improve the lives of Children in China and the U.S.'. Through the foundation he and his wife Ye Li, have worked to rebuild five schools, which will be able to care for 1000 students, and have supported numerous educational opportunities for youth in China and the U.S.. He and his wife pay for all the administrative costs they incur, so that 100 per cent of money donated goes directly to the charity. If you want to find out more about Yao's charity just click here.

Although Yao is not the first Chinese player in the NBA, it could be argued that he is the most important one, and not just for his involvement in charity and conservation work. On Sunday, 02/17/2013, the Houston Mayor Office announced that he would be a goodwill ambassador to the city of Houston. He built a bridge between two completely different worlds and introduced millions to the Chinese way of life, and the American lifestyle respectively. "He is a symbol for many Americans of United States and Chinese relations," Foster stated.