Yao Ming (Chinese: 姚明; Pinyin: Yáo Míng) (born September 12, 1980, in Shanghai, China) is a Chinese professional basketball player and is considered one of the best centers in the National Basketball Association (NBA) today. He is also among the tallest of players in the NBA standing at a height of 7'6". He is the only son of his father Yao Zhiyuan and Fang Fengdi. He played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for five years, and now plays center for the Houston Rockets in the NBA. He was selected by Houston as the 1st overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft and signed with them on October 21, 2002.

日前，美国著名杂志《体育画报》公布了07-08赛季体育明星总收入榜单和广告收入榜单，姚明双双上榜。在年收入最高的20名国际体育明星(不包括美籍人士)中，姚明以3176万美元排名第八，他也是全亚洲年收入最高的体育明星，并超过今年世界足球先生和金球奖的头号热门人选、葡萄牙球星C•罗纳尔多146万。在NBA球员的广告收入排行榜中，姚明以1800万美元压倒科比的1600万美元而名列第三，“小皇帝”詹姆斯和“菜鸟”杜兰特分别以2800万美元和2165万美元排前两位。当然，如果和排名首位的“老虎”伍兹相比，所有人都是小巫见大巫，他的广告收入高达1.05亿。