Yao Ming’s 13-year-old daughter towers in height in viral photos

Going viral: Yao Qinlei, whose English name is Amy, 13, recently went viral on Chinese social media after she was spotted in Shanghai walking with her family. The teen, who reportedly stands nearly 190 centimeters (about 6 feet, 2 inches), now almost has the same height as her mother, who is said to be 190.5 centimeters (6 feet, 3 inches) tall.

Posts shared by multiple accounts on Weibo highlight Amy’s stature. A video filmed at an airport last year shows her already towering over her grandmother; another from 2022 shows her standing next to her father — who stands 7 feet and 6 inches (229 centimeters) — with her height reaching his chest.

About Amy: Amy was born in Houston on May 21, 2010. It was apparent early on that she received her parents’ heights, with past reports noting that she was already around 5 feet and 2 inches (157.48 centimeters) at only 7 years old.

It remains to be seen whether Amy follows her parents’ footsteps in basketball. Her father, regarded as one of the tallest players ever to hit the NBA court, was inducted in the league’s Hall of Fame; her mother, on the other hand, played for China’s women’s national basketball team at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.

In a 2013 interview, Yao said he believes his daughter needs to play some sports as a form of character education. “I believe that team sports teach you communication, leadership, teamwork and physical health, obviously, and also how you face frustration from when you lose,” he told the Associated Press.

What people are saying: Weibo users expressed awe at Amy’s height, with one pointing out how the genetics in their family “are too strong.”

Meanwhile, one user said Amy’s grandmother “is not short either,” while another lamented, “I’m not as tall as her grandma.”