Society

Netizens fuss over future height of 'Baby Yao'

By Ma Zhenhuan (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-01-06 07:14

SHANGHAI: News that the wife of Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets' All-Star center, is pregnant has sent netizens rushing to predict Baby Yao's height and gender in the hopes that the child will someday lead the national basketball team.

Zhang Chi, spokesman of the Shanghai Sharks, confirmed that Yao and Ye Li, a former player on the Chinese women's national basketball team, are expecting their first child. The Sharks were recently purchased by Yao.

Netizens fuss over future height of 'Baby Yao'

"The couple appreciate the public's concerns (about the expected baby)," said Zhang. "But to give Ye some space and peace of mind, the couple thinks it's inconvenient to provide any further information."

A report on Sina.com said Ye, who is 1.90 m in height, is expected to give birth sometime around May or June. But whether Ye will deliver the baby in the United States or in Shanghai is unknown.

"It is up to (the couple) to decide," said Zhang.

In a Sina.com poll, over 74.2 percent of 46,000 participants said Yao's child is likely to grow taller than 2.05 meters, while 33.2 percent said the baby will grow to more than 2.20 meters.

In a telephone interview with China Daily yesterday, Cong Xuedi, head coach of the Shanghai women's basketball team, said she is so glad to hear about the news.

"Earlier I've asked Ye about this and she confirmed with me happily. I can tell that she is peacefully awaiting to become a mother," Cong said yesterday.

The coach said that right now it is too early to predict how tall Baby Yao will grow.

"Usually you will have to wait for a baby to grow up until the age of 10 before you can know for sure how tall the child will be, using the calculation of the bone-age measurement," said Cong, who used to coach Ye when Ye played for the women's basketball team in Shanghai.

Both the 2.26-m-tall Yao and Ye, who tied the knot in August 2007, were children of professional athletes. Yao's father, Yao Zuyuan, also a former Shanghai basketball team player, stands 2.08 meters tall. Yao's 1.88-m-high mother, Fang Fengdi, was a former member of China's national women's basketball team.

The news that Yao will soon become a father was a hot story over the Internet yesterday, with netizens conveying best wishes to the 29-year-old center and hoping him an early recovery from a foot injury.

It is reported that Yao, who was in the US last week to attend a promotional campaign for the Shanghai Expo, has returned to Shanghai. As the owner of the Shanghai Sharks, he is expected to come to the stadium to support his club in the following weeks.

Wang Jieyu contributed to the story