Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career , including the NBA 's Basketball Without Borders program . In the NBA 's offseason in 2003 , Yao hosted a telethon , which raised 300,000 U.S. dollars to help stop the spread of SARS . In September 2007 , he held an auction that raised 965,000 U.S. dollars ( 6.75 million yuan ) , and competed in a charity basketball match to raise money for underprivileged children in China . He was joined by fellow NBA stars Steve Nash , Carmelo Anthony , and Baron Davis , and movie star Jackie Chan . After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake , Yao donated $ 2 million to relief work and created the Yao Ming Foundation to help rebuild schools destroyed in the earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
Yao Ming