NANJING, CHINA - NOVEMBER 23: Yao ming attends during the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Qualifiers between China and Hong Kong at Youth Olympic Sports Centre on November 23, 2017 in Nanjing, China.(Photo by XIN LI/Getty Images)Fred Lee/Getty Images

Yao Ming Earns Economics Degree from Chinese University 7 Years After Enrolling

Scott PolacekJul 9, 2018

It took seven years, but former Houston Rockets big man Yao Ming is now a college graduate.

According to Torrey Hart of Yahoo Sports, Ming graduated from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China this past weekend with an economics degree. Ming enrolled in the school in 2011 and suggested to classmates while speaking at the podium he considered dropping out multiple times.

The Basketball Hall of Famer played for the Rockets from 2002 through 2011 and was a force in the middle when healthy. He was an eight-time All-Star and five-time member of an All-NBA team before retiring after injury problems plagued him late in his career.