3. Born September 12,
1980
Played for the
Shanghai Sharks as a
teenager
Played in the China
Basketball Association
between 1997-2002
Before 2002
4. Selected by the
Houston Rockets as
the 1st overall pick in
the 2002 NBA
Draft.
Selected to start for
the Western
Conference in the
NBA All-Star Game 8
times
Named to the All-
NBA Team 5 times
Reached the NBA
Playoffs 4 times
Data source: wikipedia
2002-2011
5. Since 2011
President
Shanghai Sharks
Basketball Club
Venture
Capitalist
Wine
Investor
Philanthropist
Board
Member
International
Special Olympics
Shanghai
Member
CPPCC*
Honorary
Doctorate
Hong Kong
University
* CPPCC: Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
7. Active participation in
NBA Cares events
and the Houston
Rockets’ community
service sparked the
light inYao of giving
back to community
and society.
8. While playing at NBA, Yao continued a variety of charity work when he visited China, such as
serving roles like a HIV/AIDS ambassador, participating in Basketball without Borders, hosting
charitable tournament etc..
Yao was also able to leverage his resources in both China and the US and brought NBA players
and Chinese athletes together for the causes. It is through these activities hasYao realized being
a celebrity not only means responsibility, but also means a great leveraging power.
9. In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Sichuan in May, 2008, besides donating $2 million,
Yao announced the establish ofYao Foundation, and set off on the journey to explore charity
work in a more organized and systematic manner.
10. Yao has been greatly inspired by Dikembe Mutombo, who gaveYao lots of advice on doing
charity work. Yao still reaches out to Mutombo today to discuss charity.
I've
learned
so
much
from
Dikembe
already.
I
feel
honored
to
sit
here
right
next
to
him…I
didn't
really
understand
until
I
had
to
do
it
(
charity
work
)
with
the
earthquake.
That's
when
you
understand,
it's
not
something
you
just
do,
you
have
to
put
your
heart
into
it.
“
”
11. Since retiring in 2011,Yao has brought his philanthropic activities to a new level. He is engaged
in a range of causes, from wildlife protection to humanitarian support. Most of all, he has
invested heavily his resources and energy in the work of his foundation, and has become more
and more eloquent in his philanthropic philosophy.
13. On Philanthropy
Everybody pursues something better
in life. Philanthropy makes us a better
person. I enjoy doing philanthropy
and it’s going to be my lifetime
commitment.
Philanthropy is something that comes
from the heart.You have to believe in
humanity to give.
Why am I interested in philanthropy?
It offers me inner piece.
There is no boundary for love and
there is a large group of people in
the world who need our care.
14. On Celebrity
Being a celebrity means more
resourceful, and more capable.
Whoever has more capability
should take more responsibility ( for
the society).
The power of a celebrity does not
just lie in the amount of money she
donates, but the influence as a role
model. Doing charity work is good,
and it’s even better to encourage
and inspire more people to do good
together. Celebrities have a great
leverage power.
15. On Participation
We should create more channels for
donors to actively participate in
charity work. Donors should be
more involved in doing the work,
instead of just giving money. It
( active engagement of donors ) will
make a real difference.
( To young people ) If you don’t have
enough money, give your time.A
minute of your time is just as valuable
as a minute of anyone else’s time
16. On Sports and
Education
Basketball is not all about competition. It’s
about health and happiness.
Sports plays an important role in education.
It teaches leadership, team work and
perseverance. Sports can benefit a person
beyond the sports field, and it inspires
people from inside.
We don’t just build schools. Building
schools is a vehicle to promote education.
In the schools we have built, we also teach
sports, organize tournaments; we even teach
arts and we tell kids what the outside world
looks like.
17. About Global Philanthropy Common
www.gpcommon.org
Global Philanthropy Common is a blog-based web
site committed to connecting Chinese
philanthropy with global philanthropy. At this
stage, we bring to English readers the updates on
current happenings in Chinese philanthropy.
www.gpcommon.org/ch
We also have a sister site in Chinese, introducing
new concepts, tools and best practice from
western philanthropy to Chinese readers.
