MANILA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) — Chinese basketball nice Yao Ming has been inducted into the FIBA Hall of Fame together with different 11 people in an enshrinement ceremony that happened right here on Thursday.
Yao, present president of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), was chosen No. 1 total by the Houston Rockets within the 2002 NBA draft. The eight-time NBA All-Star retired in 2011, and his No. 11 jersey has been retired by the Rockets.
“It is my honor to have the recognition from the FIBA Hall of Fame. I will continue making contributions to the cause of basketball,” stated Yao, who claimed three titles on the FIBA Asia Cup in 2001, 2003 and 2005.
This yr’s Hall of Fame group additionally consists of Penny Taylor (Australia), Yuko Oga (Japan), Katrina McClain (United States), Amaya Valdemoro (Spain), Wlamir Marques (Brazil), Angelo Monteiro dos Santos Victoriano (Angola), and Sony Hendrawan (Indonesia), with Carlos Loyzaga (Philippines) and Zurab Sakandelidze (Georgia) being inducted posthumously. The Class additionally consists of deserved recognition for teaching duo Valerie Garnier (France) and Alessandro Gamba (Italy).
FIBA president Hamane Niang hailed the impression of every particular person and celebrated their induction, saying, “We are honored to welcome these great basketball personalities into the FIBA Hall of Fame.”
“The FIBA Hall of Fame is not only part of our basketball tradition, it is an institution that recognizes those who brought our sport to the level of popularity that it has today and inspires the next generation,” he added.