Yao Ming Quotes

#1. To me, first and foremost, basketball is a fun sport. It is a hobby, an interest. And second, it is a profession. I feel that I am very fortunate that I can find a professional job that I really, really love.

Yao Ming

#2. I only want to play basketball, and play it well and be happy about it. But I realize that with being famous, comes a lot of demands.

Yao Ming

#3. I'm just one of the 1.3 billion Chinese.

Yao Ming

#4. The journalists are poking me all the time. It's impossible for me to stop even I want to.

Yao Ming

#5. Moving to the US was quite a transition for me, to say the least! There were, and still are so many new things to get used to: the language, food, culture, even the style of basketball is different here!

Yao Ming

#6. No matter whether you are new or an old team member, you need time to adjust to one another.

Yao Ming

#7. The Olympic Games is holy. Athletes from around the world, including myself, of course, dream to participate.

Yao Ming

#8. Is there a choice in life? It's always been like this. I am jealous that you have a lot of leisure and free time. You are jealous that I have a lot money.

Yao Ming

#9. My American strength coach said he liked me better before I could speak English.

Yao Ming

#10. I don't really have anything to say. Basketball is not a game that you can play with your mouth. It needs action to prove yourself.

Yao Ming

#11. I think I am upsetting the coach.

Yao Ming

#12. Hometown is like my quilts. Sometimes when you are in sweet dreams, you don't feel it's comfortable.

Yao Ming

#13. Sports teach you how to be quick. Injuries teach you how to slow down.

Yao Ming

#14. I understand basketball is not my entire life. It's only a part of my life. And there are a lot of other things that interest me a great deal ... other goals to seek, and this is how I have balance in life.

Yao Ming

#15. All of the Chinese people, the Asian people say, "Oh Yao Ming, you are all the Chinese, all of Asia's hopes." That's a lot of pressure. I'm just a basketball player.

Yao Ming

#16. First of all, I'm not buff enough. I got pushed away from the basket. And even when I didn't, I couldn't get anyone to throw me a pass.

Yao Ming

#17. To miss one year is a long time. I've never been in this situation before, and I'm getting as much information as I can about my foot, to see what's the best for me and best for the Rockets.

Yao Ming

#18. I can see well enough on the 28-meter basketball court.

Yao Ming

#19. Sport is the best means of communication between people from different religions and countries.

Yao Ming

#20. When the buying stops, the killing can too.

Yao Ming

#21. It's always nice to start the season with a win.

Yao Ming

#22. Sometimes it can feel like there are a billion people on my shoulders.

Yao Ming

#23. When I was young, we were taught not to dunk. We were taught not to stand out from the rest of the team. It's different now.

Yao Ming

#24. One is taller. The other is shorter.

Yao Ming

#25. Endangered species are our friends.

Yao Ming

#26. Basketball, in America, is like a culture. It is like a foreigner learning a new language. It is difficult to learn foreign languages and it will also be difficult for me to learn the culture for basketball here.

Yao Ming

#27. Putting our ecosystem in great peril is certainly not a part of Chinese culture that I know.

Yao Ming

#28. I don't know who first said it, but this proverb is something I believe: A lion leading a lot of sheep can defeat a sheep leading many lions. The important part is that I must decide when I am a lion and when I must be a sheep. I don't believe you are always one or the other.

Yao Ming

#29. There is a phrase in Chinese, 'Resolve is victory.'

Yao Ming

#30. I am a basketball player, and I would like to focus my energy on basketball. The other things, I would rather not do. It is not something I am greatly interested in, but I know it is my responsibility.

Yao Ming

#31. I think I'll stick to what I'm used to, my principles, and that is team Number 1 and individual Number 2.

Yao Ming

#32. I'm getting fat ... because my size, I put on 20 or 30 pounds, it doesn't show very much ... I'm thinking about going back to work out in a very short time.

Yao Ming

#33. I feel that the All-Star game is more like a party because its made up of a lot of elements. However the core of All-Star is still the 48 minute-game and all the fans will pay all attention to the showcase of the players excellent skills. The result of the game is not much of a concern.

Yao Ming

#34. A good leader must be fair.

Yao Ming

#35. If you're going to learn a new language, you can't try to be perfect. You'll stop yourself from talking. You just have to let go.

Yao Ming

#36. Kobe's heart is as strong as his muscles.

Yao Ming

#37. The NBA is a big family, and I think of all these rookies as my brothers. I still believe I am blue collar among the All-Stars.

Yao Ming

#38. Fortune cookies are a good idea. If the message is positive, it can make your day a little better.

Yao Ming

#39. If we buy ivory it makes all of us killers as well,

Yao Ming

#40. It will take time to adapt, but I think I can handle it.

Yao Ming

#41. Embarrassed journalists ask me embarrassing questions, and they get embarrassing answers, and then hand out embarrassing stories to the embarrassing editors, who put them to the front pages of newspapers. When is this going to end?

Yao Ming

#42. I finished my high school. I think an educate is very, very important.

Yao Ming

#43. Please don't let the illegal ivory trade orphan even more baby elephants.

Yao Ming

#44. Others are improving very fast, and I'm not improving as fast, and that bothers me.

Yao Ming

#45. Everybody is improving but I am improving slowly, which seemingly widens our distance.

Yao Ming

#46. Westerners respect privacy, and they are very competitive in terms of work and personalities. My teammates in China and I can talk about everything. But with my Houston Rockets teammates, even though we're friends, we cannot ask each other about everything.

Yao Ming

#47. Be a journalist. I can't get away from you guys, then I just mingle with you guys.

Yao Ming