Newly elected Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame member Yao Ming from China (right) gives a video interview during a conference announcing his induction in Houston, April 4, 2016. Ten former NBA players, including Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson, were introduced to the 2016 Class. The former Houston Rockets star center and eight-time All-Star now runs Shanghai Sharks of CBA and is involved in a cluster of world-known charity missions. According to NBA China CEO David Shoemaker, Yao is one of the most dominant centers and most extraordinary internationals in NBA history. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 15-minute speech Yao Ming delivered on Friday night when he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame has gone viral on the internet.

As a household name in China, Yao is the first Asian player to be inducted into basketball's Hall of Fame. In a publicity video aimed at promoting China's image that was broadcast in New York's Times Square a few years ago, some foreign viewers only recognized Yao's face. In this sense, Yao has become a symbol of China and its benign interactions with the outside world.

Yao did not have a long NBA career, but he did make remarkable contributions to his chosen sport. As an eight-time All-Star, Yao played 486 games over nine years, all with the Houston Rockets, averaging 19 points and 9.2 rebounds before foot and ankle injuries forced his retirement in 2011. His introduction to the Hall of Fame along with Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson is enough to demonstrate his widely recognized contribution to the game.

Yao's speech, delivered in fluent English, was full of humor and modesty. For example, he mentioned Wang Zhizhi, a Chinese NBA player before him, and said Wang had pioneered a path for Chinese players in the NBA. It is exactly such qualities as modesty and a sense of gratitude enshrined deep in his heart that have helped Yao to forge a successful basketball career and become such a popular sports celebrity.

Yao's successful career is to a large extent a result of China's opening-up and its huge economic and social development. Without China's opening-up to the outside world, Yao would not have had an NBA career. Yao's success has also set an example for other Chinese basketball players to realize their NBA