On March 31, 2016 (February 23, 2016 lunar calendar), Yao Ming was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as the first person in China. Yao Ming yaoming Beijing time on March 31, 2016, a report from the famous reporter Adrian Warnerowski of Yahoo Sports said that well-informed sources revealed that the Rockets star Yao Ming was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2016. Yao Ming made history and he will become the first Chinese to be inducted into the Hall of Fame! The NCAA Final Four will be held in Houston this weekend, during which the list of this year's Hall of Fame will be officially announced. The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held in Springfield on September 10. This year, there was a major change in the rules of the Hall of Fame - the waiting time for a player to be nominated for the Hall of Fame was reduced from five seasons after the original retirement to four seasons. During the All-Star Weekend, Yao Ming was directly nominated by the Hall of Fame International Committee for his huge impact on the development of NBA in China. Yao Ming, 35, is one of the most influential international players in NBA history, and he helped the league develop the Chinese and Asian markets. Yao Ming entered the NBA as the first foreign champion in 2002. Yao Ming played a total of eight seasons in NBA, including eight All-Star appearances, two (2007 and 2009) in the second team, and three (2004, 2006 and 2008) in the third team. In July 2011, Yao Ming officially announced his retirement due to injury. Throughout his NBA career, Yao Ming played a total of 486 regular season games, including 476 starts, averaging 32.5 minutes per game, surrendering 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 assists, shooting 52.4%. After retiring, Yao Ming dedicated himself to the development of Chinese basketball, and is now an investor in the CBA Shanghai men's basketball team. In addition, Yao Ming also regularly hosts the Yao Foundation Charity Tournament and is NBA's ambassador in China. The 2016 Hall of Fame shortlist also includes Allen Iverson and "Big Shark" O'Neal, who have the opportunity to be inducted with Yao Ming.