Apart from this, he is the only non-American player leading the NBA in All-Star votes. She is the beloved wife of the retired NBA legend, Yao Ming who was born on the 12th of September, 1980. He has started his career playing for the Shanghai Sharks Basketball team in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league. Fortunately, the 7'6" Yao was able to find a tall girl, even if she still is 16 inches shorter than The couple got acquainted at Shanghai Youth Sports School as teens but their relationship became publicized at the closing ceremony of the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. Yao Ming (born September 12, 1980) is a Chinese retired basketball player, Athletic, Coach, and Sports Personality from Shanghai. She and Yao Li reportedly met when he was just 17 years of age. The ir relationship went public sometime in 2004 when they appeared together at the closing ceremony of that year’s Summer Olympics. He scored 9,247 points, had 4,494 rebounds and 920 blocks. As a 6'5" man, I know the struggles that my 5'0" wife deals with, and can only imagine the challenge that someone 13" taller than me would contend with. Yao Ming’s wife, Ye Li, i s also a Chinese former basketball player. Finding a wife had to be a challenging prospect for Yao Ming. Yao Ming Net Worth, Salary, Cars & Houses Yao Ming was an eight time All Star during his NBA career. His highest career salary came in his final season when the Rockets paid him $17.6 million.