Before reading this article, I sincerely invite you to click "Follow", which is convenient for you to discuss and share, and brings you a different sense of participation, thank you for your support.
"We've known each other since high school, and you know how important you are to me. Thank you for being willing to stay with me for the rest of my life, our lovely daughter is a gift from heaven..."
On September 16, 2016, Yao Ming, the first Chinese player inducted into the U.S. Basketball Hall of Fame, made an affectionate confession to his wife Ye Li, who was sitting in the audience, when delivering his speech.
Ye Li looked calm, but at this moment, she had mixed feelings in her heart, and the tears flowing from the corners of her eyes betrayed her moving and gratifying mood at the moment.
First, at the age of 18, I met my goddess, and the poor boy's pursuit of love is long
When I first met Ye Li, Yao Ming was only 18 years old. At that age when his love for the opposite sex was just beginning, like most of his peers, basketball boy Yao Ming fell in love at first sight with this special girl who was heroic and sassy on the ball game, but safe in private. In today's terms, it is to suddenly meet your own "goddess".
However, at that time, he did not dare to confess directly to Ye Li, because he did not have outstanding achievements in the team at that time. Facing Ye Li, whose family is much superior to herself, Yao Ming always has a little inferiority in her heart.
Yao's inferiority may not be understood, because in the eyes of many people, Yao Ming seems to have grown up with the aura of a sports star. As everyone knows, before becoming famous, like other excellent athletes, Yao Ming has been unknown. When he was very young, he had low self-esteem more than once for height, and this inferiority grew up with Yao Ming since he was a child.
Yao Ming was born in Shanghai on September 12, 1980. When he was born, Yao Ming weighed as much as ten pounds, almost double the average weight of ordinary newborns at that time. Yao's parents, who were born basketball players, were overjoyed by the arrival of this "strong" son.
In Yao Ming's childhood, his parents paid special attention to giving Yao Ming adequate nutritional supplies, after all, inheriting his father's business has always been the vision in the heart of many fathers. In order to make Yao Ming taller and taller, his father even asked a friend to apply for a milk card in the era when materials were not very abundant, so that Yao Ming could have sufficient nutrition.
When he was in middle school, Yao Ming's height had reached about one meter and five meters. Yao Ming, who is significantly taller than other classmates, always sits in the last row in school, but this difference in height brought more feelings to Xiao Yao at that time was inferiority.
It was not until he later entered a special sports school for basketball training that Yao Ming found his own battlefield. Soon, Yao Ming, who had both skill and height, was selected by a discerning coach, all the way from the student team to the provincial team and then to the national team, when Yao Ming was only 18 years old.
Yao Ming, who entered the national team, was unknown at first, knowing that he could only gain a foothold in the national team if he redoubled his efforts. At that time, Ye Li's fame was much greater than him, and there were many boys who pursued Ye Li. But for the extremely hard training of basketball, Ye Li rarely has time to talk about love.
This also deeply attracted Yao Ming, so he tried to create a "chance encounter" with Ye Li on various occasions. But Ye Li did not notice that this tall, but shy big boy fell in love with himself at first sight.
Later, in order to pursue Ye Li, Yao Ming always tried his best. Some teammates found that after Yao Ming's training, he always ran to the canteen alone in advance to seize the window position, and secretly lay outside the window to watch the women's basketball players who were eating after training.
When his teammates learned that Yao Ming was peeking at Ye Li, he told him that Ye Li has many suitors, and if you want to pursue her, you must also need to become very good. With a word to wake up the dreamer, Yao Ming finally realized that he must let her see his own light in order to get the heart of the goddess.
Therefore, Yao Ming worked harder in training, often practicing by himself after the team finished training. At the same time, Yao Ming often understands Ye Li's various preferences through other people around him, after all, the shortcut to chasing the white swan is to know how to do what he likes.
For example, in the summer, he often bought Ye Li's favorite ice cream to send over, but Ye Li did not seem to be interested in this dedicated poor boy, and the ice cream given to Ye Li was usually directly divided by Ye Li's teammates, often making Yao Ming cry and laugh.
In fact, Ye Li is not an ignorant girl, she knows that love is not a simple gift can be exchanged, love is more of a responsibility, without a deep understanding of a person, she will not easily fall in love with a person. She even turned down Yao Ming's dating offers several times.
Yao Ming did not give up in the face of the cold Ye Li, he thought that since he had the right to pursue love, Ye Li naturally also had the right to choose.
Pursuing your own happiness is the same as pursuing your favorite basketball career, and persistence is the secret of it.
- The "Olympic bride price" he gave her, the beauty that the hero finally embraced.
The pursuit of love became the driving force for Yao Ming's breakthrough career. Yao Ming finally became the main member of the national team's tactical organization system with his outstanding performance in the national team competition.
Time came to the Sydney Olympics in a flash, and the Chinese women's basketball team was at a low point at that time, and did not even get a ticket to the Olympic Games that year, and Ye Li, who was depressed, was always absent-minded when she was on the training ground. Yao quickly noticed this, and he knew how important it was to participate in the Olympics for an athlete who values basketball as his life.
So when staying in the Olympic Village, Yao Ming took the initiative to collect more than 200 Olympic badges from athletes from other countries and gave them to Ye Li, saying that these badges represented more than 200 national participants, and receiving them meant that Ye Li also participated in the Olympic Games "indirectly".
Suddenly this gift of special significance surprised Ye Li, of course, in addition to the accident, it was more moving. I didn't expect that this "big tall" who looked humble and would be stalked, still had such a delicate side in his heart. At this moment, no matter how cold a girl in her heart is, she will be melted by its blazing flames.
She also felt Yao Ming's deep love for herself, and she suddenly realized that this love was not impulsive, not temporary, but the sincere feelings that had been buried in his heart for a long time.
Finally, after the end of the Olympic Games, Yao Ming took advantage of the break to confess to Ye Li affectionately, and Ye Li also accepted Yao Ming from the bottom of his heart. In 2000, the two officially fell in love, and a marriage was about to come to fruition. A few years later, the two held a grand wedding at the Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai, ending a years-long love run.
Time flies like a white horse passing by, and his persistence in love has allowed Yao Ming to gain career progress and the heart of his lover. Since that time, everything has been good and everything seems possible.
- The meaning of love lies in going both ways, and my love is no less than yours.
Since the two officially fell in love, the evaluation of the relationship between the two by the outside media was basically Ye Li Gao climbing Yao Ming, because Yao Ming's status and popularity were much higher than Ye Li at that time.
Especially in February 2002, Yao Ming was successfully selected as one of the Asian basketball all-star teams, and participated in the National Men's Basketball A League in the same year, and suddenly won the second place, and his reputation suddenly opened. Individuals also won three individual awards that season: Best Rebound, Best Dunk and Best Block in the league that season. This means that Yao Ming, as a newcomer, has begun to make his mark in domestic and international competitions.
And Ye Li withdrew from the national team early due to injury, and the huge difference in the identities of the two inevitably makes people guess the "high climb theory". For these rumors, Ye Li is always noncommittal, the most important thing in her heart is not the eyes of the outside world, but their love can withstand the test of time without fading.
Yao Ming's love for Ye Li has not changed because of the change of identity, and Ye Li is also showing through her own way that her love for Yao Ming is no less than his. In 2000, when Yao Ming was in the competition, he always wore a red knot on his left hand side.
After the game, Yao Ming frankly said that this was done by Ye Li herself, and they agreed that the two must wear red knots during the game, male left and female right, Ye Li's right hand also has a similar red knot. The red knot indicates that the two are working together, which is exclusive to their romance.
What's more interesting is that after every game in Yao Ming, Ye Li will always give him some animal knick-knacks. The thoughts of these little girls made Yao Ming, a man of five big and three thick, cry and laugh, but looking at Ye Li with a serious face, he still carefully collected these small gifts, because these gifts were given by Ye Li himself, which was naturally priceless.
With the soaring of Yao Ming's career, Ye Li was also willing to be the little woman behind it. In 2002, Yao Ming was drafted by the NBA's Houston Rockets as the first Chinese player to enter the NBA, which meant that he would have to leave his hometown for a long time and go to a strange country.
Living abroad made Yao Ming feel the discomfort brought about by cultural differences, but during that time, Ye Li often took the initiative to call Yao Ming, and Ye Li always encouraged Yao Ming to find the strength to not admit defeat on the phone.
The power of love is always endless, and Yao Ming finally opened low and went high after adapting to the NBA court for a while, and won the praise and trust of international fans through his excellent record.
These bits and pieces made Yao Ming very grateful to Ye Li. When Yao Ming was selected to give a speech as a Hall of Famer, he looked back on his NBA career and focused on his wife Ye Li, thanking her for her silent support and care for her parents when she was in the NBA.
And Yao Ming also revealed a romantic little secret, what many people may not know is that after Yao Ming joined the Houston team, he chose the jersey number 11. Many people don't understand what 11 represents?
In this regard, Yao Ming seriously replied that he didn't think too much when choosing the number, because his initials and Ye Li's initials were Y, and the number 11 looked like a combination of their two initials. So Ye Li also ridiculed Yao Ming for fighting on the court with himself behind his back and realizing his NBA dream.
- You came to care for me in the first half of my life, and I came to protect you in the second half of my life.
The day an athlete's sports life will end, and happiness is the moment you step off the field, waiting for the long-awaited family life.
On May 5, 2009, in the game against the Lakers, Yao Ming insisted on rushing back to the game despite the discomfort of his left foot to help the Rockets win the final victory. But five days later, Yao Ming's left foot came with heart-rending pain, which was confirmed by the team doctor to be a cracked left leg, which laid the groundwork for Yao's later retirement due to injury.
Finally, on July 9, 2011, the NBA officially announced that Yao Ming had decided to retire from the NBA due to injury. On July 20, Yao Ming also officially announced his departure from the basketball court he cherished.
But after retiring, Yao Ming did not leave the basketball circle, and he is still active in various basketball publicity and public welfare activities. It's just that unlike before, whenever Yao Ming appears in public, Ye Li often accompanies Yao Ming.
After retiring, Yao Ming has more time to spend with his wife and daughter, who were born when Ye Li accompanied Yao Ming to play abroad. Yao Qinlei also inherited her father's height gene, and when she was 10 years old, she was more than 1 meter 7, and she got rid of a female version of Little Yao Ming.
Whenever Ye Li asks the media, will she let her daughter play basketball in the future? Ye Li always smiled slightly and said that she respected her daughter's wishes, and as a mother, she naturally hoped that her daughter would inherit her father's mantle. But as a basketball player for many years, she knows that sports brings more injuries to athletes, so she gives her daughter the right to choose her own life.
In recent years, Ye Li's frequency of public appearances and interviews with reporters has increased significantly, and at this time, she has completely completed the gorgeous transformation of her identity, and happiness has always overflowed on her face.
For Yao Ming, she often nags and nags like ordinary Chinese women to their husbands every day.
When Yao Ming and Ye Li attended the public welfare publicity activity of the micro-movie "Love Driving", Ye Li jokingly said:
"I hope you don't drive after drinking, and find a substitute driver when you need to." Then I was also his (Yao Ming's) on-call chauffeur in real life."
One sentence caused the audience to laugh, and Yao Ming, as a figure in the stadium, was not only not angry after his wife broke the news that he often drank, but shyly lowered his head.
How deep the relationship with a person is, the imprint is not in the oath of the sea and the rotten stones, but in the firewood, rice, oil and salt of daily life. This sentence also confirms the plain, long-flowing love between Yao Ming and Ye Li.
As the so-called in the first half of his life, Yao Ming impressed Ye Li through his persistence and pursuit, and in the journey of the second half of his life, Ye Li used his gentleness and understanding to enable Yao Ming to be in the process of pursuing his career without distractions and worries.
- Love each other more deeply in mutual "dislike"
Ye Li not only did a good job of being a benefactor within the family, but also often maintained Yao Ming's public image in public and said good things for him.
The reporter once joked about Yao Ming in a public interview, saying that Yao Ming is usually so busy, how much time can he really spend on his family? At this time, Yao Ming blushed and lowered his head and said, "Very ashamed, very ashamed." "It was awkward at one point.
Yes, as the pillar of China's basketball development, Yao Ming has often rushed to various basketball activities and promotions after retiring, and although he has spent more time with his daughter and wife than before, it is still far from enough. Therefore, facing his wife sitting next to him, Yao obviously felt a little guilty.
At this time, Ye Li next to him generously continued and said:
"Because he is usually busy with work outside, he occasionally calls home and says something comforting. As a wife, I understand Yao's love for basketball, and I support any decision he makes. ”
Supporting him to do what he loves the most is to love someone to the highest standard, Ye Li deeply interpreted this sentence.
However, what really made Ye Li "palpitate" was Yao Ming's weight soaring, and Yao Ming, who had taken a back seat, once soared to 400 pounds. At that time, in an event interview, when a reporter asked about the height and weight gap between the two, Ye Li jokingly said that Yao Ming's two-meter, two-six-four hundred pounds posed a threat to his personal safety.
It turned out that Ye Li said that she and Yao Ming always slept at a distance at night, and there was always a gap between the beds, otherwise Yao Ming might suppress himself when he turned over at night. This sentence is not alarmist, after all, the size gap between the two is very large.
Ye Li said that she was very concerned, but her love for Yao Ming had long changed from hormones in adolescence to the habit of taking care of her relatives. Compared with the "threat" of large weight to herself, Ye Li cares more about Yao Ming's physical health, so she often ridicules Yao Ming on various occasions for being too fat, and urges Yao Ming to lose weight in and out of words.
Many people have asked Ye Li if he accepted Yao Ming just because he gave him his badge? Ye Li replied very seriously at this time: Of course not, what I care about is that he usually takes good care of me and his love for me is reflected in every day, every minute, every second.
And it seems insignificant every day, every minute, every second, that moves me.
Epilogue:
As the "business card" of the Chinese men's basketball team, Yao Ming's achievements have not only won large and small championships, but more importantly, his success has driven the development of China's basketball marketization and inspired more and more young players to go abroad and pursue their basketball dreams.
Yao Ming's success is inseparable from his wife Ye Li's silent support for him, which also shows that there must be someone behind a successful man who is silently paying for him. This basketball story not only shows a successful basketball life path, but also reflects a sense of personal responsibility for life and trust in his partner.
What do you want to say as an audience at this time? Leave your comments and let's communicate together!