The 12th Yao Foundation Charity Game Charity Dinner was held in Hong Kong in 2024, where Yao Ming attended with his wife Ye Li and daughter. Yao Qinlei, who had not been seen in public for a long time, immediately sparked discussion upon her appearance, as the 14-year-old girl is already over 190 cm tall, earning her the nickname "the chosen basketball player."
Previously, professionals predicted that this much-anticipated "strongest second generation in the basketball world" could potentially reach a height of 2.15 meters. Will she really follow in her parents' footsteps and pursue a career in sports, as speculated by the outside world?
The answer to this question can actually be explored through her "parental love." Yao Ming is undoubtedly the current "leading figure" in Chinese men's basketball. His rare qualities as an athlete, such as humility, calmness, and patience, are not only the keys to his career success but also play a crucial role in his "pure love" with Ye Li, a "genius athlete."
They met when they were young, with their first encounter happening when Yao Ming was 17 years old. At the shared training base of the Shanghai men's and women's basketball teams, Yao Ming felt from then on that Ye Li was the right person for him, but he did not rush to confess his feelings. Instead, he would ask for photos of the women's team after interviews with journalists to keep as mementos.
The turning point from secret admiration to open courtship occurred in 1999. That year, Yao Ming finally entered the national team, and the 19-year-old big boy began to ask Ye Li out to play, only to receive a year and a half of rejections. At that time, Ye Li was also a young and naive girl.
Yao Ming, who was not particularly skilled at making invitations, would often receive a blunt response from Ye Li, "No." However, he was a pursuer with excellent mentality and high emotional intelligence.
He believed that there was nothing that could make him give up. In his view, this was a special shyness of Chinese girls, and he even empathetically stated, "Good feelings are never easily attainable; I am willing to spend time and wait."
This waiting continued until the Millennium Olympics in Sydney in 2000. That year, the Chinese women's basketball team suffered a setback in the preliminary rounds, failing to qualify for the Olympics, which naturally meant Ye Li missed out on the glory of the Sydney arena. However, this provided Yao Ming with a great opportunity to "move her heart truly."
During the Sydney Olympics, Yao Ming collected about 200 different sports commemorative badges from various countries. He selected 50 of them as a birthday gift for Ye Li's 19th birthday and presented them to her. From this point on, the basketball girl's naive romantic cells were fully activated.
When Yao Ming invited her out again, Ye Li would hesitate a bit and consider whether to go out with him before rejecting him. In this way, Yao Ming broke through the ice and not only had his first date with Ye Li but also won her heart.
After they confirmed their relationship and entered the honeymoon period, it wasn't long before they faced their first test in 2002—the challenge of a long-distance relationship. With Yao Ming emerging as the top pick in the NBA draft, he had to leave for the United States.
How could their love continue? As we all know, basketball players in the United States have extremely high value, and countless American girls try to have a one-night stand with them to change their lives. Moreover, there are many unmarried star athletes who have children, and someone gave Yao Ming a significant "cultural shock in marriage and love."
Once, during an interview with Yao Ming and Moochie Norris by a Chinese newspaper, they were asked if they had children. Yao Ming naturally blurted out, "Of course not, he hasn't married yet."
However, Moochie looked at Yao Ming with a smile and said, "I have two children." At that time, Yao Ming was quite surprised by his answer. Back then, he had never known anyone who became a father without being married. This shows that his family education was both successful and traditional.
Some might say that when you're always by the river, how can you not get your shoes wet? The wild lifestyle of American athletes has long been known to everyone, so has Yao Ming really not been affected? The answer is affirmative. Not only did he not change his mind about Ye Li, but many details also show Yao Ming's deep appreciation for her.
For example, NBA players pay great attention to their jersey numbers, and Yao Ming chose number 11 when he was with the Rockets. Why this number? He casually explained that it simply looks most like two Ys, representing Yao and Ye's "Y."
Therefore, people often see two "Ys" on Yao Ming's personal items, and even the carpet in his car is embroidered with them. Additionally, another interesting story from the Beijing Olympics also reflects Yao Ming's firm choice of Ye Li.
During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Yao Ming, who had honed his skills in the NBA for several years, had already become famous worldwide, and naturally, there were many girls who liked him, including the most well-known Australian women's basketball mainstay, Lauren Jackson.
Previously, this Australian star publicly confessed her feelings to Yao Ming, and at the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, she even staged a "good show," completely disregarding the camera lens and embracing Yao Ming passionately in front of the whole world.
Even now, at the age of 43, Lauren Jackson still pays close attention to Yao Ming's movements, seemingly never forgetting him. Counting the process of Yao and Ye's love, it can be seen that Yao Ming is a gentleman and a husband who is very clear about what he wants. During this process, Ye Li also sacrificed many possibilities in her own career, and it is under the fulfillment of both sides that this family has become such a loving and harmonious one.
In recent years, several times when the whole family of Yao Ming and Ye Li were photographed traveling together, they not only spread a handful of dog food to the public but also showed that the happy life of this family of five is so simple and plain, giving this "basketball star second generation" enough respect and care.
In 2023, netizens encountered Yao Ming's family at the Xishuangbanna Botanical Garden in Yunnan during the Chinese New Year. They were dressed simply, and the hotel where the family of five stayed cost only 1300 yuan per person, which is quite different from the consumption of many internet celebrities who often stay in hotels costing thousands of yuan.
Many people wonder why Yao Ming's family, who are not short of money, travel so low-keyly? Indeed, a simple life is a quality inherent in this family, even though they live in one of the top 50 most expensive mansions in Shanghai called "Cuihu Tiandi," they often take online ride-hailing services.
Don't look at this family's low-key eating, wearing, and using without extravagance, but Yao Ming and Ye Li's Yao Foundation is serious about doing public welfare. In just one year of 2023, the Yao Foundation Hope Primary School Basketball Season project supported more than 2100 rural schools.
Daughter Yao Qinlei has frequently attended the charity dinners of the Yao Foundation with her parents since she was 7 years old. At last year's 2024 Yao Foundation Charity Dinner held at the Shanghai Marriott Hotel, she also attended and made an emotional speech, and the dinner raised more than 2 million yuan in just 2 hours.
Yao Qinlei contributed her own actions to the cause of sports charity and demonstrated the sense of responsibility and dedication of the new generation of teenagers. It is reported that Yao Qinlei is currently not interested in sports but has a strong interest in history.
Over the years, Yao Ming's family has been repeatedly photographed visiting historical sites, which indirectly confirms this statement, suggesting that Yao Qinlei, this combination of "genius genes," is not keen on following her parents' path as athletes.
Moreover, ever since Yao Qinlei was born, Yao Ming has repeatedly mentioned that his daughter has the right to choose her own path.
In 2010, when Yao Ming was playing for the Houston Rockets, he was questioned about why he didn't ask his wife Ye Li and parents to return to China to give birth. At that time, he stated that Yao Qinlei's birth was based on the principle of proximity, and he had no reason to return to China specifically for the show.
Therefore, when Yao Qinlei turns 18, she will truly choose her nationality autonomously, and her parents will not force her. This fully demonstrates Yao Ming's parenting philosophy—do well in oneself and respect the child.