NBA legend Yao Ming inspires rural kids at national tournament

When young basketball players from rural primary schools compete for this championship, they might imagine they're wearing the shoes of legendary NBA player Yao Ming, who played nine years for the Houston Rockets.

It's easy to imagine Yao because he's standing there in real life.

At 229 centimeters tall and weighing 140 kilograms, Yao, a gentle giant, literally dwarfs the children, who can only imagine growing up — and up, and up, and up — to become a human mountain like him.

Yao was attending the 15th national basketball final of the organization that bears his name — the Yao Foundation in Enshi, Hubei province. It was a thriller for the books between teams from rural primary schools.

The kids might be small in stature but they're mighty in spirit. Tuanjie Primary School, located in Youxi county, Fujian province, edged out Fuyan Town Central School from Menglian county, Yunnan province, in a 79-77 squeaker. It secured the victory with a dramatic shot just 1.5 seconds before the final buzzer, and the arena erupted.