Ye Li is a former Chinese professional basketball player who played at the 2004 Summer Olympics as a Chinese national basketball team member.
On the other hand, Ye Li is the beloved wife of Yao Ming, a professional former basketball player. Yao Ming is the only Chinese basketball player to have joined the NBA.
Another factor that makes Ye stand out from the others is her height. At 6 feet 3 inches, barely anyone can avoid her.
Though Ye Li had not had a long basketball career through a similar profession, she found her love of life, Yao Ming.
In this article, we are digging more in Ye Li’s life. But before that, let’s check about some quick facts about her.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Ye Li (叶莉) |
| Birth Date | November 20, 1981 |
| Birth Place | Shanghai, East China |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Common Name | Ye Li |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | Chinese |
| Ethnicity | Asian |
| Father’s Name | Unknown |
| Mother’s Name | Unknown |
| Sibling | Unknown |
| Father in Law’s Name | Fang Fengdi |
| Mother in Law’s Name | Yao Zhiyuan |
| University | University of Houston |
| Age | 40 years old |
| Height | 6’3″/191 cm |
| Weight | 58 kg/128 lbs |
| Body Build | Athletic |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Profession | Former Basketball Player |
| Career Achievement | Played six games during the 2004 Summer Olympics |
| Other Profession | Starred in an awareness campaign short movie |
| Marital Status | Married in August 2007 |
| Husband | Yao Ming |
| Dating Period | Nine Years |
| Daughter | Yao Qinlei ( May 21, 2010) |
| Husband’s Profession | Former Basketball Player in NBA |
| Positions | Centre |
| Affiliations | Houston Rockets (2002-2011) |
| Net Worth | Not Available |
| Social Media | None |
| Yao Ming’s Merch | Jersey, Rookie Card |
| Last Update | July, 2022 |
Early Years & Career of Ye Li
Ye Li was born in Shanghai, East China, and has Chinese ancestry. Unfortunately, there is no information available elsewhere concerning her family history or childhood.
Some sources claim that Li went to the University of Houston and frequently showed up at Rockets home games. She was a Shanghai Sharks player in 1999.
However, Ye Li’s selection to the Chinese Basketball Team, which will represent China at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, is a well-known fact. She still remembers this moment today.
Unfortunately, Ye Li’s basketball career was short. In her entire career, she only participated in six games. However, Ye Li displayed some exceptional performance during her active years.
Career Accomplishments
Li’s team defeated the Korean team in their opening match, 71-54, and went on to win the tournament. She had two turnovers, eight total rebounds, one block, and eight points during the game.
The team’s performance in the ensuing match against Spain was poor. They were defeated by an 8-point margin. Ye Li recorded 12 points, six total rebounds, and two turnovers in this game.
With each game, her performance improved, and in the third game, she made significant strides. Ye Li scored 16 points, had two assists, two rebounds overall, and four turnovers.
In the remaining three games, she had 32 points, 18 total rebounds, four steals, two assists, and nine turnovers.
Age, height, and weight of Ye Li
Ye Li, who was born on November 20, 1981, is 40 years old. She is a lovely woman with a contagious grin and stylish short hair. She had a fit athletic body, as she was an athlete. Ye Li is taller than the typical Asian woman at 6 feet 3 inches. She must weigh roughly 58 kg based on the images.
Ye Li: Yao Ming, an NBA star, and my love story
He and Yao Ming attended the same training facility, Shanghai Youth Sports School, where they first met. Yao Ming, a member of the men’s basketball team, and Li, a member of the women’s basketball team, bonded over their shared professional history.
When reflecting on the past, Yao Ming claimed that his initial attraction to Ye Li was profound. They both had favorable initial perceptions of one another. Ye thought Yao was stable and mature, whereas Yao thought Yi was gorgeous as a goddess.
Yao Ming actually had a serious infatuation on Yi and did his best to win her over by purchasing numerous presents or locating her favorite foods.
Not to add that Yao once used all of his savings to purchase Ye Li’s preferred food, Haagen-Dazs, which was an expensive dish at the time.
Ye Li hesitated to take the dish when she learned the truth. But even so, it seemed impolite not to. She then gave it to her team members.
Despite the failures, Yao persisted in his attempts to impress Ye Li. Doesn’t the plot seem like it belongs in an adolescent romance film? We must admit that Ye Li is a very fortunate person.
Dating Background
As time went forward, Ye Li and Yao Ming met more frequently in the Shanghai and national teams. Li’s basketball team failed to qualify for the 2000 Olympics. Ye Li was distraught, so Yao gathered Olympic medals to give to her in an effort to cheer her up.
Yao Ming was chosen by the NBA in 2002 and moved there. He was abroad, yet his thoughts were only on Ye Li.
Li’s heart had also been warmed by Yao’s attempts. Ye Li bought a gift for Ming on Valentine’s Day since she had been thinking about him for a long time.
Yao Ming, Ye Li’s husband, once remarked:
“I’ve only ever had one girlfriend, Ye Li, who also happens to be my wife. I therefore won’t gain expertise in male-female relationships.
As a pair, they both made their public debuts at the 2004 Athens Olympics closing ceremony.
Following that, they were frequently seen together, and Yao even mentioned Li in several interviews. Additionally, Ming wore the red wristband created by Ye the entire time he played in the NBA.
Marriage & Children
They were wed in August 2007 after dating for seven years. About 40 guests attended Yao and Ye Li’s intimate wedding ceremony at the Pudong Shangri-La.
Later, on May 21, 2010, Li and Yao Ming welcomed a daughter into the world in Houston, Texas, in the United States. Yao Qinlei was her given name (Amy English name).
An Overview of Yao Ming’s Life
The international athlete Yao Ming was born in Shanghai, China, on September 12, 1980. Ming is the only kid and hails from a family of professional basketball players. Both my mother Fang Fengdi and my father Yao Zhiyuan played basketball.
Yao attended secondary school at Shanghai No. 2 before enrolling at Shanghai Jia Tong University.
Ming is the tallest player in the NBA at 7 feet 6 inches. Ming’s unusual height is favorable on the basketball court, and it helped him succeed in the NBA.
He joined Sharks Junior and played there for a while because he had been interested in basketball since he was a teenager. He afterwards traveled to Shanghai Sharks to hone his abilities.
Ming then played for Sharks for five years, contributing to their victory in the Chinese Basketball Association in his final season.
The NBA’s Houston Rockets quickly became interested in Yao Ming when he was 22 years old; after negotiations with the Sharks, Houston was selected in the 2002 NBA Draft.
Ming is the Chinese Basketball Association’s current president (CBA).
Gross Value
Ye Li’s net worth has not yet been made public. She did, however, play basketball in the past and may have earned some money for herself. Later, she married, had a child, and retired.
Her spouse Ming, on the other hand, is thought to be worth $120 million. In addition to owning the Sharks basketball team and his own winery in Napa Valley, Ming had a rather successful NBA career.
Formerly known as Shanghai Sharks, the couple acquired and renamed the training facility in 2009 after Li and Ming.
Instagram presence
Li is a private individual who is not active on any social networking sites. It is uncommon for us to view her photos; we can only see them when she attends certain public occasions.
However, Yao Ming, her husband, has 196.6k Twitter followers and almost 523k Instagram followers.
Yao has not uploaded any images of his wife or daughter or any personal details.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Are Ye Li and her husband Yao Ming actors also?
Yao Ming, along with his wife Li, was featured in the short movie back in 2013. It was a public-service movie to bring awareness regarding the dangers of drunk driving.
Since Yao Ming is a national hero, he and his wife acted in a movie so that more and more people would know about the issue.
What is the relation between Yao Ming, Ye Li, and Majestic Princess?
NBA All-Star and wife Li were chosen to serve as Inaugural Cruise Ambassadors for Princess Cruises in China in 2018.
It was a grand ceremony for a week on the ship’s maiden cruises, and the couple christened Majestic Princess in a gala ceremony.