Former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming has been nominated for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, in a move that could make him the first Chinese player to receive the honor.

原休斯顿火箭队中锋姚明正式获得了奈史密斯篮球名人堂提名资格，此举将会使他成为获此殊荣的中国第一人。

The Rockets, with which Yao spent nine years from 2002 to 2011, filed the nomination¹ after The Hall of Fame recently reduced the eligibility² requirement from five seasons after retirement³ to four, according to FOX 26 Sports.

据美国FOX26报道，名人堂最近更改了提名规则，即球员退役的年限要求从5年降低为4年。姚明于2002年至2011年在火箭队效力。而在2011年退役的姚明今年正好符合这一规则。火箭队方面也在规则更改后第一时间提名姚明入选名人堂。

The rule change opens door to Yao, as well as other NBA legends, notably⁴ Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson, all of whom could be inducted in 2016.

规则的改变为姚明打开了大门，其它的NBA传奇人物，特别是奥尼尔、艾弗森等人也同时获得了此资格。

Yao said he was "pretty excited and nervous" about the nomination in a telephone interview with a sports media outlet⁵.

姚明在接受FOX26关于被提名的电话采访时表示，“自己非常兴奋，也很紧张。”

Since drafted by the Rockets in 2002, the 7'6" man went on to become the best recognized Chinese face in the league as an eight-time All Star. After injuries hurt his form, the veteran was forced to call an end to his sporting career in July, 2011.

自从2002年被火箭队选中，在这之后的时间里，这个7尺6寸的巨人逐渐成长，前后共八次入选NBA全明星，并成为了联盟里最优秀的中国球员。在饱受伤病的折磨之后，2011年7月这位经验丰富的球员被迫退役，结束了自己的运动生涯。

But retirement didn't remove the star from the spotlight⁶, though. Yao, who continued to be China's global sports brand, remained in news off the court as a wildlife conservation advocate.

然而，退役并没有让姚明淡出聚光灯下，他一直是中国国际性运动的一张名片，同时他也是野生动物保护的倡导者。即使不在球场上，姚明也仍被新闻所关注。

The 33-year-old has also been a national political advisor⁷ since 2013, representing his native city Shanghai.

2013年，33岁的姚明代表他的家乡上海，成为了一名全国政协委员。