Public Service Goes Global
An Interview with Yao Ming
Interview Conducted by Dan Tian

Yao Ming is a professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets of the NBA. After an 8.0 earthquake struck Sichuan, China, in May 2008,
Ming founded the Yao Ming Foundation to assist in the recovery efforts.

FRANK: Hello, Yao. It’s an honor to visit with you in Houston. Thank you for taking time to speak with me.

Ming: You’re welcome. Thank you for making the long trip here.

FRANK: In preparing for this interview, I couldn’t find an official English-to-Chinese translation for the term “public service.” Frequently, for those engaging in public service, it can be difficult to find a common meaning across cultures. How do you define public service?

Ming: I’m not really sure. But, since you’re asking me for my personal translation, I’d say public service, to me, means “social volunteerism.”

FRANK: And how wouldyou define the concept of social volunteerism?

Ming: I like to think of it in a broad way; from a community perspective. In my opinion, social volunteerism is closer to meaning “industry of service,” with several people acting in concert, as compared to the more individualized, traditional notion
of service.

FRANK: After living in the United States for several years, compare and contrast the notion of public service between China and America.

Ming: Here, in the United States, contributing to the betterment of society is an important part of the American lifestyle. Besides paying for taxes and working, it seems that each individual has a social responsibility to give back. From what I know, Americans donate approximately 3 percent of their annual income to various charitable organizations. While the Chinese certainly aren’t lacking in benevolence, our response is more reactive; we’re usually more willing to aid in an emergency, as exemplified by our recent humanitarian response to the Sichuan (China) earthquake. However, our service isn’t a persistent effort. It’s not something the Chinese do every moment of every day.

FRANK: How can athletes best contribute to public service?

Ming: I think that, as athletes, we can take the lead in public service. In professional sports, especially basketball or football, athletes have a very high rate of public exposure. I would certainly consider the athlete to be a form of celebrity, as many people follow or support what we do on a daily basis. So, because of our public support, we also have a responsibility to better society.

FRANK: What led you to start the Yao Ming Foundation?

Ming: Years ago, I spent a lot of time with the China Youth Development Foundation (CYDF), playing in charitable games and contributing to other activities. At the time, I was much younger — about 22 or 23 years old — and I wasn’t thinking much about the role of service. It wasn’t until 2007, when I again participated in the activities organized by the CYDF, that I realized a foundation can accumulate more strengths.

As I mentioned, because of my status as a professional athlete, I should also accept the social responsibility generated from my position. So, I established a foundation (Yao Ming Foundation). Of course, running a foundation hasn’t been easy. It’s difficult to find the time necessary to organize and publicize it. My original plan was to start my foundation after the Beijing Olympic Games, when I could put in more effort to ensure its success. But, because of the huge need from the earthquake, I changed my plan and started the foundation earlier.

FRANK: You’ve obviously made a commitment to serve and are doing great work. What obstacles, if any, have you faced in doing public service?

Ming: First, establishing a foundation is a systematic undertaking. Like running a company, I need to have the right number and kind of employees. I’ve worked closely with BDA Sports Management to help organize my foundation and manage its money wisely. But I’m lacking in professionals to work for my foundation, who can run good programs and increase its popularity. Most importantly, I recognize the need to use the foundation’s money efficiently, not simply depositing it in a bank account. Further, I must continue to find ways to ensure the transparency of my foundation’s financial reports, so donors know where their money is going. Transparency is public faith,
which is critical.

FRANK: What inspires you to do public service?

Ming: I think it’s the byproduct of my education. As you probably know, when we were little, there was a hero — a soldier called Lei Feng. I remember learning about his story when I was a young boy. He had a very short life, and he died at only 22 years old. But, he did a lot of good things for people, similar to what we’ve been calling “public service.” China didn’t have any institutionalized forms of public service at that time, like we do now. But stories like Feng’s instilled in me the importance of doing good for others.

FRANK: What other people/role models have inspired you to serve?

Ming: Dikembe Mutombo, my teammate, has made a big impact
on me.

FRANK: Indeed, Mutombo has the reputation for being the “father” of public service in the NBA. Talk a little about his global public- service impact.

Ming: He’s a legend — his stories are legendary. But I think his big heart starts with very small ideas. His mom died because there was no good access to treatment, with no good hospitals in his country (Congo, Africa). And so he started a hospital (Biamba Marie Mutombo Hospital), and then a foundation in his name to maintain and grow the hospital, among other things. But his ideas started from within and started small. He then began building every day.

It is said that, “Rome wasn’t built in one day,” right? So, he’s always continuing his work, gradually, to build his own public-service empire. As I said, you cannot simply wait for disasters to come, and then decide to do something. Maybe it’s just a little every day, step by step, but it adds up.

FRANK: And how has Mutombo inspired you to serve?

Ming: He’s shown me a lot about service. I’ve been his teammate for at least four years now. And when I see him, he always has three or four cell phones in his pocket, a computer, and forms to sign. He’s always talking to businessmen, trying to reach them and their pockets, in order to expand his charitable work.

He taught me that service isn’t easy. You have to put in a lot of energy to do what he does. So, yes, Dikembe has inspired me a lot. He’s a master of giving back and has done a lot of great things for his country.

FRANK: Do you see yourself as a model for public service and hope to inspire the Chinese people through your actions?

Ming: Yes, I certainly want to see more people join the cause of public service. But I choose to focus on what I can do personally, and hopefully others will join. I choose to serve, though, because I can’t take seeing other living people suffer. It hurts me to see others
in pain.

FRANK: When you are no longer playing basketball, do you plan on running your foundation full time?

Ming: It’s a bit early to consider that at
present. I’d like to focus on this year first, investing a lot of energy and obtaining some more experience. Running a foundation has not been a simple idea to carry out. When I finish basketball, I will definitely contribute more time and energy to it. But doing only the foundation?

FRANK: Like President Clinton manages his foundation?

Ming: Well, it’s different. He’s retired. I will be in my thirties when I stop playing basketball. I would like to continue doing something related to basketball; perhaps some academic research on it. I don’t ever see myself being far from basketball. But my foundation is very important to me. It has my name and my efforts invested in it; not only myself, but also the efforts of my team, my friends and my donors.

FRANK: I want to shift focus to the Olympics. Beijing hosted the XXIX Summer Olympic Games in 2008. How many Olympic Games have you attended?

Ming: I’ve attended three.

FRANK: Describe your three experiences at the Olympics and what the “Olympic Spirit” meant to you each time.

Ming: That’s a good question. When I first attended the Olympics, I was just 20 years old. It had always been a childhood dream for me to play in the Olympics and to win honor for my country. But at such a young age, I had a limited understanding of what the Olympics represented.

The motto of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games was about “sharing the spirit,” promoting a harmonious society between immigrants and Aborigines. In 2004, it was about the Olympics going home after 100 years, since the first was held in Athens in 1896. While competing in Athens, I had a “holy” feeling. Because I like history, at that moment I envisioned I was attending the very first Olympics in history. I had played for the NBA already that year, which put a lot more pressure on me to perform well at the Olympics. But I tried my best to concentrate more on the “spirit” of the games without thinking too much about the scores.

FRANK: Thank you for your time and your service.

Ming: Thank you, and good luck