Yao Ming joins a panel of Clyde Drexler, Dikembe Mutombo and Hakeem Olajuwon that will judge the 2013 NBA Slam Dunk Contest, according to Houston Fox reporter Mark Berman. Ming certainly brings down the average age of the panel that itself will certainly pull at Houston Rockets fans' heartstrings.
2013 NBA All-Star Game: Yao Ming will judge the Slam Dunk Contest
Former Houston Rockets big man Yao Ming will judge the 2013 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Ming, who retired in 2011 after struggling to compete through foot injuries, played for the Rockets for just more than seven seasons after Houston selected him No. 1 overall in the 2002 draft. He had career averages of 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.
Not quite known as a dunk artist himself, the 7’6 center from China and the other Rockets legends will judge the first round of this year’s dunk competition. Six players total are split into East and West teams, and they will compete against their conference opponents in the first round for a place in the championship round, where a fan vote will decide the winner.
The Western Conference team is made up of the Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe, the Denver Nuggets' Kenneth Faried and the Utah Jazz's Jeremy Evans.
New York Knicks swingman James White leads the Eastern Conference's list participants, and he is joined by the Indiana Pacers' Gerald Green and rookie Terrence Ross of the Toronto Raptors.
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