'The Year of the Yao' is a film for everyone, however great or small their interest in basketball.Yao Ming stands 7 feet 6 inches tall and is just 20s old. October 2002. After formal speeches and farewells from his teachers and local Shanghai officials, 22-year-old Yao Ming leaves for the United States and his new career with the Houston Rockets.
As the Number One overall draft pick of the 2002/2003 season and a big man who rivals his fellow center Shaquille O’Neal in size and strength, Yao is about to become the NBA’s most scrutinized1 rookie in recent memory.
'The Year of the Yao' is also a story about friendship, in which two young men, a Chinese athlete and his American translator, help one another navigate2 their first year with the NBA.