Yao Ming (left) joins fellow former NBA stars Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson as the latest nominees for this year's NBA Hall of Fame. (Photo : Twitter)
Former NBA star Yao Ming took another step toward joining the prestigious NBA Hall of Fame along with fellow stars Shaquille O' Neal and Allen Iverson.
Yao was nominated into the James Naismith Hall of Fame by the international committee in September of last year. The committee cited his contribution to the growth of the sport in his native China, as well as his impact in the league as one of the very first players coming from the country, China Daily reported.
Meanwhile, O'Neal and Iverson were announced as finalists for this year's set of inductees on Friday. However, they still need to garner 18 votes from the 24-member Honors Committee to be officially recognized as inductees.
The three stars were able to secure their nominations thanks to a new set of rules in the nomination process, allowing them to be eligible after just four full seasons of retirement, ESPN reported. Previously, potential nominees had to wait five years before being eligible.
The 7-foot-6 Yao entered the NBA in 2002 as that year's top overall draft pick, playing for the Houston Rockets for the entirety of his Stateside career. However, after several injury-plagued seasons, Yao decided to permanently retire from professional play in 2011.
Before entering the NBA, he played for the Shanghai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) from 1997 to 2002. Yao also proved instrumental in the Chinese men's national basketball team's campaign in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Other players and basketball personalities nominated for this year's inductees include former point guard Kevin Johnson, longtime-referee Darrell Garretson, celebrated college coach John Lendon, WNBA star Sheryl Swoopes, and women's basketball coaches Muffet McGraw and Leta Andrews, as well as the Wayland Baptist University team.
The final list of names included in the class of inductees will be revealed on April 4 during the NCAA championship game, while the induction ceremonies are set for Sept. 9.
