A quick introduction to basketball star Yao Ming (姚明), with language tailored for beginner readers.
Key vocab
运动员 – yùn dòng yuán – athlete
出生 – chū shēng – to be born
练习 – liàn xí – to practice
努力 – nǔ lì – hardworking
球技 – qiú jì – ball skills
认识 – rèn shi5 – to know (someone)
了解 – liǎo jiě – to understand
年轻 – nián qīng – young
有名 – yǒu míng – famous
姚明的故事
姚明是中国最有名的篮球运动员。他1980年出生在上海。他的爸爸妈妈都很高，所以姚明也非常高。他有两米二六！
姚明很小的时候就开始打篮球。他每天练习很长时间，非常努力。2002年，他去了美国，在NBA打球。很多美国人不知道他，但是姚明用他的球技让大家都认识了他。
姚明打球打了八年。他帮助中国和美国的人更了解对方。现在他不打球了，但是他还在帮助年轻人学习篮球。很多中国孩子因为他，也爱上了篮球。
The Story of Yao Ming
Yao Ming is China’s most famous basketball player. He was born in Shanghai in 1980. His father and mother were both very tall, so Yao Ming was also very tall. He is 2.26 meters tall!
Yao Ming started playing basketball when he was very young. He practiced for a long time every day and worked very hard. In 2002, he went to America to play in the NBA. Many Americans didn’t know him, but Yao Ming used his basketball skills and soon everyone knew of him.
Yao Ming played basketball for eight years. He helped Chinese and American people understand each other better. Now he doesn’t play anymore, but he still helps young people learn basketball. Many Chinese children fell in love with basketball because of him.