Yao Ming married his longtime girlfriend Monday at a swanky hotel in his hometown of Shanghai, China.
Yao, the Houston Rockets’ star center, tied the knot with Ye Li, a 6-foot-2 player on the Chinese women’s basketball team, reported. About 70 friends and relatives attended the ceremony and banquet.
About 100 reporters staked out the lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel, but Yao sent a message that he would give no interviews. However, reporters received a compact disc of studio wedding photos, along with celebratory candy. Yao told Houston television station KRIV in an interview the station agreed to hold until Monday that he’s known his bride since they were teenagers.
“The first couple of years, we both don’t let parents know,” Yao said. “I have a lot of fun times. After so many years we have so many good memories together, we think this is the time right now. We can stay together forever and build a new family.”
