Yao Ming Visits Flood- Damaged Hilliard Elementary, Donates $100K To Harvey Relief Fund

HOUSTON, TX — One visitor loomed large over the students of Hilliard Elementary this week. Former Houston Rockets standout Yao Ming didn't just tower over the kids, he skied over the adults, too. The NBA Hall of Famer didn't just show up at the damaged and broken school, he made a giant donation to Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund.

Hilliard, which took on 4 feet of water from nearby Halls Bayou, was listed among the Houston ISD's "top 10" schools damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Hilliard students have been displaced to Fonwood Early Childhood Center, and it will be months before they can return to Hilliard.

Ming toured the flooded school on Tuesday with Hilliard Principal Edrick Moultry and HISD officials to show his support for HISD students suffering from the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. Also on the tour were HISD Superintendent Richard Carranza, Board President Wanda Adams, and Trustees Rhonda Skillern-Jones, Diana Dávila, Anna Eastman and Holly Maria Flynn Vilaseca.

Once the Hilliard tour was complete, the group went to the relocation site where Ming was greeted by hundreds of Hilliard Wildcats students and the mayor in the cafeteria. After brief introductions by the principal and superintendent, Turner gave some remarks.

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"I want to thank Yao for coming all the way from China to make a contribution to our schools, our teachers, and our community," Turner said. "This guy was a superstar on the court, and today he is a superstar right here in our community."

Ming, towering above everyone he was near, then spoke to the crowd. It was announced he would make a $100,000 donation to city's Harvey Relief Fund that was launched by the mayor in the early days of Hurricane Harvey, which dumped more than 50 inches of rain in some parts of Houston. The money will be used to support students and teachers and ensure they have the things they need to rebuild their lives and their schools.

"Today I look at every one of you, and I feel hope," Ming said. "I see joy and confidence in your faces, and I believe with your faith, Houston will move forward and recover."

The he opened up the forum for questions from the young crowd.

"What size shoe do you wear?" one asked. "Nineteen," he said.

"What's your favorite restaurant in Texas?" another asked. "Taste of Texas."

A third asked, "What did you buy with your first Houston Rockets paycheck?"

"I went to Best Buy and bought a video game," Ming said, and the crowd roared in response.

Ming was born in Shanghai and drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2002. He led the Rockets to many playoff games and victories before retiring in July 2011 because of nagging injuries. In 2016, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, and his No. 11 jersey was retired by the Rockets.

In February, Ming was appointed president of the Chinese Basketball Association.

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Photo courtesy of Houston Independent School District