A postal code (known in various countries as a post code, postcode, or ZIP code) is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.

In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems. Countries that do not have national systems include Ireland and Panama. Although Hong Kong and Macau are now Special Administrative Regions of China, each maintains its own long-established postal system, which does not utilize postal codes for domestic mail, and no postal codes are assigned to Hong Kong and Macau. Mail between Hong Kong, Macau and mainland China is treated as international.

Although postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas, special codes are sometimes assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, such as government agencies and large commercial companies. One example is the French CEDEX system.

Terms

There are a number of colloquial terms for ''postal code''.

; ''postal code'': The general term is used directly in Canada. ; ''postcode'': This portmanteau is popular in many English-speaking countries. ; ''ZIP code'': The standard term in the United States and the Philippines; ''ZIP'' is an acronym for ''Zone Improvement Plan''. ; ''PIN code'' / ''pincode'': The standard term in India; ''PIN'' is an acronym for ''Postal Index Number''.

History

Postal codes were first introduced in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in December 1932, but the system was abandoned in 1939. The next country to introduce postal codes was Germany in 1941, followed by Argentina in 1958, the United Kingdom in 1959, the United States in 1963 and Switzerland in 1964.

Presentation

Character sets

The characters used in postal codes are

The arabic numerals "0" to "9"

Letters of the Basic Latin alphabet,

space " ",

hyphen "-"

Reserved characters

Postal codes in the Netherlands originally did not use the letters 'F', 'I', 'O', 'Q', 'U' and 'Y' for technical reasons. But as almost all existing combinations are now used, these letters were allowed for new locations starting 2005. The letter combinations SS, SD and SA are not used for historical reasons.

Postal codes in Canada do not include the letters D, F, I, O, Q, or U, as the OCR equipment used in automated sorting could easily confuse them with other letters and digits. The letters W and Z are used, but are not currently used as the first letter.

Alphanumeric postal codes

Most of the postal code systems are numeric, only a few are alphanumeric (i.e. use both letters and digits). Alphanumeric systems can, given the same number of digits, encode many more locations. They are often more precise, as is the case in the United Kingdom or in the Netherlands, where a postal code corresponds to a street or even a building, meaning the post code and the number of the home/business is all that is needed for accurate delivery. However, there is no ''a priori'' reason why numeric postal codes cannot be equally precise, as illustrated by 9- and 11-digit codes in the United States. The independent nations using alphanumeric postal code systems are:

Argentina (see table)

Brunei (see table)

Canada (see table)

Jamaica (see postal codes in Jamaica)(suspended in 2007 )

Malta (see table)

Netherlands (see table)

United Kingdom (see table)

Venezuela (look up at http://www.ipostel.gob.ve/nlinea/codigo_postal.php).

Country code prefixes

Usage of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 codes was recommended to be used starting in 1994, but they have not become widely used. The European Committee for Standardization recommends use of ISO Alpha-2 codes for international postcodes and a UPU guide on international addressing states that "administrations may recommend" the use of ISO Alpha-2 codes.

Andorra, Ecuador, Latvia, Moldova, Slovenia use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 as prefix in their postal codes.

In some countries (such as those of continental Europe, where a postcode format of four or five numeric digits is commonly used) the numeric postal code is sometimes prefixed with a country code to avoid confusion when sending international mail to or from that country. Recommendations by official bodies responsible for postal communications are confusing regarding this practice. For many years, licence plate codes — for instance "D-" for Germany or "F-" for France — were used, although this was not accepted by the Universal Postal Union (UPU).

Placement of the code

Postal services have their own formats and placement rules for postal codes. In most English-speaking countries, the postal code forms the last item of the address, following the city or town name, whereas in most continental European countries it precedes the name of the city or town.

When it follows the city it may be on the same line or on a new line.

In Japan, China, Korea and the Russian Federation, it is written more to the beginning of an address.

Geographic coverage

Postal codes are usually assigned to geographical areas. Sometimes codes are assigned to individual addresses or to institutions that receive large volumes of mail, e.g. government agencies or large commercial companies. One example is the French Cedex system.

Postal zone numbers

Before postal codes as described here were used, large cities were often divided into ''postal zones'' or ''postal districts'', usually numbered from 1 upwards within each city. The newer postal code systems often incorporate the old zone numbers, as with London postal district numbers, for example. Ireland still uses postal district numbers in Dublin. In New Zealand, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch were divided into postal zones, but these fell into disuse, and have now become redundant as a result of a new postcode system being introduced.

Codes defined along administrative borders

Some postal code system, like the one of Ecuador and Costa Rica show an exact agreement with the hierarchy of the administrative country subdivisions.

Format of 6 digit numeric (8 digit alphanumeric) postal codes in Ecuador, introduced in December 2007: ECAABBCC : EC - ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code : AA - one of the 24 provinces of Ecuador (24 of 100 possible codes used = 24%) : BB - one of the 226 cantons of Ecuador (for AABB 226 of 10000 codes used , i.e. 2.26%. Three cantons are not in any province) : CC - one of the parishes of Ecuador.

Format of 5 digit numeric Postal codes in Costa Rica, introduced in 2007: ABBCC : A - one of the 7 provinces of Costa Rica (7 of 10 used, i.e. 70%) : BB - one of the 81 cantons of Costa Rica (81 of 1000 used, i.e. 8.1%) : CC - one of the districts of Costa Rica. In Costa Rica these codes are also used by the National Institute for Statistics and Census (INSEC).

The first two digits of the postal codes in Turkey correspond to the provinces and each province has assigned only one number. They are the same for them as in ISO 3166-2:TR.

The first two digits of the postal codes in Vietnam indicate a province. Some provinces have one, other have several two digit numbers assigned. The numbers differ from the number used in ISO 3166-2:VN.

Codes defined close to administrative borders

In France the numeric code for the departments is used in the first digits of the postal code, except for the two departments in Corsica that have codes 2A and 2B and use 20 as postal code. Furthermore the codes are only the codes for the department in charge of delivery of the post, so it can be that a location in one department has a postal code starting with the number of a neighbouring department.

Codes defined indirectly to administrative borders

The first digit of the postal codes in the United States defines an area including several states. From the first three digits (with some exceptions), one can deduce the state.

Codes defined independently from administrative borders

The first two digits of the postal codes in Germany define areas independent from administrative regions. The coding space of the first digit is fully used (0-9); that of the first two combined is utilized to 89%, i.e., there are 89 postal zones defined. Zone 11 is non-geographic.

The UK post designed the postal codes in the United Kingdom mostly for efficient distribution. Nevertheless, with time, people associated codes with certain areas, leading certain people wanting or not wanting to have a certain code. See also postcode lottery.

Precision

Netherlands

Postal codes in the Netherlands are alphanumeric, consisting of four digits followed by a space and two letters (NNNN AA). Adding the house number to the postcode will identify the address, making the street name and town name redundant. For example: 2597 GV 75 will direct a postal delivery to the International School of The Hague.

USA

Other countries allow equally precise coding. For example, in the United States, the delivery point is typically derived from the last two digits of the house number and thus (at least theoretically) allows an unambiguous identification of every address in the country.

UK

For domestic properties the postcode refers to up to 100 properties in contiguous proximity (e.g. a short section of a populous road, or a series of less populous neighbouring roads). The postcode plus the number or name of a property is not always unique, particularly in rural areas. For example GL20 8NX/1 might refer to either 1 Frampton Cottages or 1 Frampton Farm Cottages, roughly half a kilometre apart. The postcode plus the ''first line of the address'', however, is always unique (except where sub-properties occurs).

Structure is alphanumeric with the following seven valid permutations, as defined by BS 7666:

A9 9AA A9A 9AA A99 9AA A99A 9AA AA9 9AA AA9A 9AA AA99 9AA

There are always two halves: the separation between outward and inward postcodes is indicated by one space.

The outward postcode covers a unique area and has two parts which may in total be two three or four characters in length. A postcode area of one or two letters, followed by one or two numbers, followed in some parts of London by a letter.

The outward postcode and the leading numeric of the inward postcode in combination forms a postal sector, and this usually corresponds to a couple of thousand properties.

Larger businesses and isolated properties such as farms may have a unique postcode. Extremely large organisations such as larger government offices or bank headquarters may have multiple postcodes for different departments.

There are about 100 postcode areas ranging widely in size from BT which covers the whole of Northern Ireland to ZE for Shetland. Postcode areas may also cross national boundaries, such as SY which covers a large, predominantly rural area from Shrewsbury and Ludlow in Shropshire, England, through the eastern Welsh town of Welshpool, Powys in Wales to the seaside town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion on Wales' west coast.

States and overseas territories sharing a postal code system

Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are part of the UK postcode system. They use the scheme AAN NAA, in which the first two letters are a unique code (GY, JE and IM respectively).

Seven British overseas territories use nine postal codes: three for Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and one apiece for the others. Note that the former has two ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes, and the British Antarctic Territory has none, so the number of ISO codes is seven.

Ascension Island: ASCN 1ZZ, ISO code: AC

British Antarctic Territory: BIQQ 1ZZ

British Indian Ocean Territory: BBND 1ZZ, ISO code: IO

Falkland Islands: FIQQ 1ZZ, ISO code: FK

Pitcairn Islands: PCRN 1ZZ, ISO code: PN

Saint Helena STHL 1ZZ, ISO code: SH

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands: SIQQ 1ZZ, ISO code: GS

Tristan da Cunha: TDCU 1ZZ, ISO code: included under SH

Turks and Caicos Islands: TKCA 1ZZ, ISO code: TC

Two other British areas have their own systems, and use the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 prefix:

Cayman Islands: KYN-NNNN*

British Virgin Islands: VGNNNN.

French overseas territories use the five-digit French postal code system, each code starting with the three letter department identifier. Monaco also uses the French system.

Italy, San Marino and Vatican City use one system. Liechtenstein and Switzerland use one system. Slovakia and the Czech Republic base their systems on the codes of Czechoslovakia, their ranges not overlapping.

Non-geographic codes

In Finland the special postal code 99999 is for Korvatunturi, the place where Santa Claus (Joulupukki in Finnish) is said to live.

In Greenland the postal code 2412 is for Julemanden (Santa Claus)

In Canada the amount of mail sent to Santa Claus increased every Christmas, up to the point that Canada Post decided to start an official Santa Claus letter-response program in 1983. Approximately one million letters come in to Santa Claus each Christmas, including from outside of Canada, and all of them are answered in the same languages in which they are written. Canada Post introduced a special address for mail to Santa Claus, complete with its own postal code:

:SANTA CLAUS :NORTH POLE  H0H 0H0

In the United Kingdom, the non-conforming postal code GIR 0AA was used for the National Girobank until its closure in 2003.

Formats

A = letter

N = number

CC = ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code

!Country	!Introduced	ISO 3166-1 alpha-2>ISO	!Format	!Note
Afghanistan			- no codes -
			NNNNN	With Finland, first two numbers are 22.
			NNNN
			NNNNN	First two as in ISO 3166-2:DZ
	2004		CCNNN
			- no codes -
	1974, modified 1999		1974-1998 NNNN; From 1999 ANNNNAAA	Codigo Postal Argentino (CPA), where A is the province code as in ISO 3166-2:AR
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	2006-04-01		NNNN
Ascension island			AAAANAA one code: ASCN 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1967		NNNN
	1966		NNNN
			CCNNNN
			NNNN
		BB	CCNNNNN
		BY	NNNNNN
		BE	NNNN	First number indicates the province. (not completely correct)
		BZ	- no codes -
		BJ	- no codes -
			NNNNN
	1972	BR	NNNNN	Código de Endereçamento Postal (CEP)
	1992	BR	NNNNNNNN (NNNNN-NNN)
British Indian Ocean Territory			AAAANAA one code: BIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
		VG	CCNNNN
			AANNNN
	1975		NNNN
			NNNNN
	1971–1975		ANA NAN	The system was gradually introduced starting in April 1971 in Ottawa
		CV	NNNN	The first digit indicates the island.
			NNNNNNN (NNN-NNNN)
			NNNNNN
			NNNNNN
	2007-03	CR	NNNNN	First codes the provinces, next two the canton, last two the district.
		HR	NNNNN
	1994-10-01	CY	NNNN
	1973	CZ	NNNNN (NNN NN)	with Slovak Republic, Poštovní směrovací číslo (PSČ) - postal routing number
	1967-09-20	DK	NNNN
	2007-12	EC	CCNNNNNN
		EG	NNNNN
		EE	NNNNN
Falkland Islands			AAAANAA one code: FIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1971	FI	NNNNN
	1972	FR	NNNNN	First mostly as in ISO 3166-2:FR.
			NNNN
	1941-07-25	--	NN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1962	DE	NNNN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1993	DE	NNNNN	Postleitzahl (PLZ)
	1983	GR	NNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	1993		AAN NAA	UK-format postcode (first two letters are always GY not GG)
Hong Kong			- no codes -
		HU	NNNN
		IS	NNN
	1972-08-15	IN	NNNNNN,	NNN NNN	Postal Index Number (PIN)
		ID	NNNNN	Kode Pos
			NNNNN-NNNNN	کد پستی
	2004		NNNNN
			- no codes -	Alphanumeric system planned, however no known rollout date
	1993		CCN NAA, CCNN NAA	UK-format postcode
		IL	NNNNN
	1967		NNNNN	Codice di Avviamento Postale (CAP)
	1968	JP	NNNNNNN (NNN-NNNN)
	1994		CCN NAA	UK-format postcode
			NNNNNN	Reference:
		LV	CC-NNNN
	1964	LI	NNNN	With Switzerland, ordered from west to east
		LT	NNNNN	References: http://www.post.lt/en/?id=421 http://www.post.lt/en/?id=271
		LU	NNNN	References: http://www.upu.int/post_code/en/countries/LUX.pdf
Macau		MO	- no codes -
		MY	NNNNN
		MT	AAANNNN (AAA NNNN)	Kodiċi Postali
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
		MX	NNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
		MD	CCNNNN (CC-NNNN)
	1972	MC	980NN
		ME	NNNNN
	1997-01-01	MA	NNNNN
	1977	NL	NNNN AA
	2008-06	NZ	NNNN	Postcode
		NI	NNNNNN
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	1968-03-18	NO	NNNN	From south to north
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
			NNNNNN
		PK	NNNNNN
		PY	NNNN
		PE	Alphanumeric	New National Postal Code system to be implemented in February 2011
		PH	NNNN
Pitcairn Islands			AAAANAA one code: PCRN 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
	1973	PL	NNNNN (NN-NNN)
	1976		NNNN
	1994	PT	NNNN-NNN (NNNN NNN)
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
	2003-05-01	RO	NNNNNN
	1971		NNNNNN
			NNNNN	With Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Emilia Romagna
	2005-01-01		NNNNN	Poshtanski adresni kod (PAK)
	1950		NN
	1979		NNNN
	1995		NNNNNN
	1973	SK	NNNNN (NNN NN)	with Czech Republic from west to east, Poštové smerovacie číslo (PSČ) - postal routing number
			CCNNNN (CC-NNNN)
	1975		NNNN
South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands			AAAANAA one code: SIQQ 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
			NNNNNN (NNN-NNN)
	1976		NNNNN	First two indicate the province, range 01-52
			NNNNN	Reference: http://mohanjith.net/ZIPLook/
	1968-05-12		NNNNN (NNN NN)
	1964		NNNN	With Liechtenstein, ordered from west to east
			NNNNN	includes some territories administrated by Japan
	1982-02-25	TH	NNNNN	The first two specify the province, numbers as in ISO 3166-2:TH, the third and fourth digits specify a district (amphoe)
Tunisia			NNNN
Turks and Caicos Islands			AAAANAA one code: TKCA 1ZZ	UK territory, but not UK postcode
			NNNNN	The first two specify the province as in ISO 3166-2:TR
			NNNNN
	1959–1974		A(A)N(A/N)NAA (A[A]N[A/N] NAA)	Postcode, letters before the first number identify a town or district. AN NAA, ANN NAA, ANA NAA, AAN NAA, AANN NAA, AANA NAA. Complex as incorporates early non-systematic postal districts.
	1963-07-01		NNNNN (optionally NNNNN-NNNN or NNNNN-NNNNNN)	ZIP code
	1963-07-01		NNNNN	U.S. ZIP codes
			NNNNN	with Italy, uses a five-digit numeric CAP of Rome
			NNNNNN

Non-postal uses and economic aspects

While postal codes were introduced to expedite the delivery of mail, they are very useful tools for several other purposes, particularly in countries where codes are very fine-grained and identify just a few addresses. Among uses are: Finding the nearest branch of an organisation to a given address. A computer program uses the postal codes of the target address and the branches to list the closest branches in order of distance as the crow flies (or, if used in conjunction with streetmap software, road distance). This can be used by companies to inform potential customers where to go, by job centres to find jobs for job-seekers, to alert people of town planning applications in their area, and a great many other applications.

Fine-grained postal codes can be used with satellite navigation systems to navigate to an address by street number and postcode.

Geographical sales territories for representatives in the pharmaceutical industry are allocated based on a workload index that is based upon postcode.

Availability

The availability of postal code information has significant economic advantages. In some countries, the postal authorities charge for access to the code database. , the United Kingdom Government is consulting on whether to waive licensing fees for some geographical data sets (to be determined) related to UK postcodes.

See also

List of postal codes

:Category:Lists of postal codes

Mailing address format by country

References

External links

Universal Postal Union

*Addressing

*Postcodes

Reference on World Postcodes

countries postal codes Formats and list

Category:Postal system

als:Postleitzahl ar:رمز بريدي an:Codigo postal ast:Códigu postal az:Poçt indeksi bn:পোস্ট কোড be:Паштовы індэкс be-x-old:Паштовы індэкс bar:Postleitzoi bs:Poštanski broj br:Kod-post bg:Пощенски код ca:Codi postal cs:Poštovní směrovací číslo cy:Côd post da:Postnummer de:Postleitzahl el:Ταχυδρομικός κώδικας es:Código postal eo:Poŝtkodo ext:Coigu postal eu:Posta-kode fa:کد پستی fr:Code postal fy:Postkoade fur:CAP gl:Código postal ko:우편번호 hy:Փոստային ինդեքս hr:Poštanski broj id:Kodepos is:Póstnúmer it:Codice postale he:מיקוד (דואר) jv:Kodhe pos la:Numerus cursualis lv:Pasta indekss lb:Postcode lt:Pašto kodas lij:Codiçe postâ hu:Irányítószám mk:Поштенски број ms:Poskod nl:Postcode nds-nl:Postcode ja:郵便番号 no:Postnummer nn:Postnummer oc:Còde postal nds:Postleddtall pl:Kod pocztowy pt:Código postal ro:Cod poștal ru:Почтовый индекс sq:Kodi postar scn:CAP simple:Postal code sk:Poštové smerovacie číslo sl:Poštna številka v Sloveniji sr:Поштански код sh:Poštanski broj fi:Postinumero sv:Postnummer ta:அஞ்சல் குறியீடுகள் th:รหัสไปรษณีย์ tg:Нишонаи почта tr:Posta kodu uk:Поштовий індекс ur:رمزِ ڈاک vec:Codice postale vi:Mã bưu chính wa:Limero del posse vls:Postnummer wuu:邮政编码 zh:邮政编码

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
name	The Allman Brothers Band
landscape	yes
background	group_or_band
years active	1969–19761978–19821989–present
origin	Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
genre	Southern rock, blues rock, boogie rock, country rock, jam rock, hard rock
label	Capricorn, PolyGram, Arista, Epic, Sanctuary
associated acts	Gov't Mule, The Dead, The Derek Trucks Band, Derek and the Dominos, Hour Glass, Great Southern, Sea Level
current members	Gregg AllmanButch TrucksJai Johanny "Jaimoe" JohansonWarren HaynesMarc QuiñonesOteil BurbridgeDerek Trucks
past members	Dickey BettsBerry OakleyDuane AllmanChuck LeavellLamar WilliamsDavid GoldfliesDan TolerDavid "Frankie" TolerMike LawlerAllen WoodyJohnny NeelJack PearsonJimmy Herring
website	AllmanBrothersBand.com }}

The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar and lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, organ, songwriting), who were supported by Dickey Betts (lead guitar, vocals, songwriting), Berry Oakley (bass guitar), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe" Johanson (drums). While the band has been called the principal architects of Southern rock, they also incorporate elements of blues, jazz, and country music, and their live shows have jam band-style improvisation and instrumental songs.

The band achieved its artistic and commercial breakthrough in 1971 with the release of ''At Fillmore East'', featuring extended renditions of their songs "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" and "Whipping Post" and often considered one of the best live albums ever made. George Kimball of ''Rolling Stone'' magazine hailed them as "the best damn rock and roll band this country has produced in the past five years." A few months later, group leader Duane Allman was killed in a motorcycle accident. The group survived that and the death of bassist Oakley in another motorcycle accident a year later; with replacement members Chuck Leavell and Lamar Williams, the Allman Brothers Band achieved its peak commercial success in 1973 with the album ''Brothers and Sisters'' and the hit single "Ramblin' Man". Internal turmoil overtook the band soon after; the group dissolved in 1976, reformed briefly at the end of the decade with additional personnel changes, and dissolved again in 1982.

In 1989, the group reformed with some new members and has been recording and touring since. A series of personnel changes in the late 1990s was capped by the departure of Betts. The group found stability during the 2000s with Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks, the nephew of their drummer, serving as its guitarists, and became renowned for their month-long string of shows in New York City each spring. The band has been awarded eleven gold and five platinum albums between 1971 and 2005 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked them 52nd on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004.

Band history

Beginnings

The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida on March 26, 1969, and consisted of Duane and Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Butch Trucks, and Jai Johanny Johanson. Brothers Duane and Gregg Allman grew up in Daytona Beach, Florida, and had been playing music publicly since the early 1960s. They formed a garage band called the Escorts in 1963, which evolved into the Allman Joys in 1965. From there the brothers formed Hour Glass and moved to Los Angeles. The Hour Glass released two failed albums on Liberty Records in 1967 and 1968. They were all released from the contract except Gregg, who Liberty thought might have some commercial potential. Gregg and Duane had previously met Butch Trucks and his band The 31st of February while touring as the Allman Joys, and decided to record an album with them in September 1968, shortly after the breakup of Hour Glass. This album was eventually released as ''Duane & Greg Allman'' on the Bold Records label in 1972. Duane Allman played on Wilson Pickett's hit version of "Hey Jude" and became the primary session guitarist for FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, recording with Aretha Franklin, King Curtis, Percy Sledge, and others. Allman started jamming with Dickey Betts, Butch Trucks and Berry Oakley in Jacksonville. Eddie Hinton, with whom Duane Allman had played in Muscle Shoals, was considered to play guitar, but Hinton refused in order to join the Muscle Shoals studio band. Duane brought in Jaimoe, a drummer he had played with in the past. Gregg was in Los Angeles, fulfilling the Hour Glass contract with Liberty Records. He was summoned back to Jacksonville. The Allman Brothers Band played numerous shows in the South before releasing their debut album, ''The Allman Brothers Band'' in 1969 to critical acclaim. It featured future jam standards "Whipping Post" and a 12/8 time slide guitar ''tour de force'' "Dreams". A cult following began to build.

''Idlewild South'' was released in 1970 to critical success and improved sales. Produced by Tom Dowd it featured the upbeat "Revival" and the moody-but-resolute "Midnight Rider". After completing the ''Idlewild South'' sessions Duane Allman joined Eric Clapton and his ad hoc Derek and the Dominos to record the classic ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs''.

1971 saw the release of a live album, ''At Fillmore East'', recorded on Friday and Saturday March 12 and March 13 of that year at the legendary rock venue the Fillmore East. The album was another huge hit. ''Rolling Stone'' listed ''At Fillmore East'' as number 49 on of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It showcased the band's mix of jazz, classical music, hard rock, and blues, with arrangements propelled by Duane's and Betts' dual lead guitars, Oakley's long, melodic "third guitar" bass runs, the rhythm section's pervasively percussive yet dynamically flexible foundation, and Gregg Allman's gritty Ray Charles-like vocals and piano/organ play which all completed the band's wall of sound. The rendition of Blind Willie McTell's "Statesboro Blues" was a straight-ahead opener, the powerful "Whipping Post" (with its famous 11/4 bass opening) became the standard for an epic jam that never lost interest, while the ethereal-to-furious "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed" invited comparisons to John Coltrane and Miles Davis.

The Allman Brothers were the last act to play the Fillmore East before it closed in June 1971. The final shows achieved legendary status, partly due to bands literally playing all night; in 2005 Gregg Allman would relate how the jamming musicians lost track of time, not realizing it was dawn until the side doors of the Fillmore were opened and the morning light poured in.

The band continued to tour; decades later, a special-order recording of one of their final concerts in this lineup, ''S.U.N.Y. at Stonybrook: Stonybrook, NY 9/19/71'', would be released. It reveals that Duane Allman's slide guitar playing on "Dreams" and other songs was touching the farthest reaches of both that instrument and his imagination.

Loss and triumph

Duane Allman died not long after the ''Fillmore East'' album was certified gold, killed in a motorcycle accident on October 29, 1971 in Macon, Georgia, when he collided with the rear of a flatbed truck that had turned in front of him. The group decided to carry on. The album continued to gain FM radio airplay, with stations even playing 13-minute and 23-minute selections.

Dickey Betts filled Duane's former role in completing the last album Duane participated in, ''Eat a Peach'', released in February 1972. The album was often softer ("Blue Sky", "Little Martha") and wistful in tone ("Melissa", "Ain't Wastin' Time No More"), capped by the 34-minute "Mountain Jam" reverie taken from the Fillmore East concerts. Writer Greil Marcus described parts of ''Eat a Peach'' as an "after-the-rain celebration... ageless, seamless... front-porch music stolen from the utopia of shared southern memory."

The group played some concerts as a five-man band, then decided to add Chuck Leavell, a pianist, to gain another lead instrument but without, however, directly replacing Duane. This new configuration debuted on November 2, 1972, on ABC's ''In Concert'' late-night television program.

Days later, on November 11, 1972, Berry Oakley died from head injuries he received in another motorcycle accident near Napier Avenue and Inverness Street, only three blocks from the site of Duane's accident the previous year. The common retelling that it was at exactly the same site as Duane's death is incorrect, as is the legend that the ''Eat a Peach'' album is named for what was being carried by the truck involved in Allman's accident.

Oakley was replaced by Lamar Williams at the end of 1972, in time to finish the next album, ''Brothers and Sisters'', released in August 1973.

Dickey Betts was becoming the group's unofficial leader. ''Brothers and Sisters'' included the group's best known hits, "Ramblin' Man" and "Jessica", both written by Betts; the former reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 as a single, while the latter was a seven-minute instrumental hit.

The Allman Brothers Band had become one of the top concert draws in the country. Probably their most celebrated performance of the era took place on July 28, 1973 at the Summer Jam at Watkins Glen outside Watkins Glen, New York, in a joint appearance with The Grateful Dead and The Band. An estimated 600,000 people made it to the racetrack where this massive outdoor festival took place.

In the wake of the Allman Brothers Band's success, many other Southern rock groups rose to prominence, including the Marshall Tucker Band (who played as the Allman Brothers Band's opening act for many shows on their 1973 tour) and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Another peak of the Allmans' success came on New Year's Eve, 1973, when promoter Bill Graham arranged for a nationwide radio broadcast of their concert from San Francisco's Cow Palace. New arrangements of familiar tunes such as "You Don't Love Me" went out over the airwaves, as the show stretched out over three sets, with Boz Scaggs sitting in, along with Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia and Bill Kreutzmann (Allmans and Grateful Dead members guested at each other's shows multiple times in the early 1970s).

Turmoil and dissolution

Personality conflicts started to tear the band apart, however. Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts both began solo careers, while Allman married Cher, separated quickly, reconciled, and eventually separated again, all in a storm of publicity; drug abuse took its toll on the entire band. Musically, Betts and Leavell were pulling in opposite directions, with Allman trying to mediate.

The tension resulted in the uneven ''Win, Lose or Draw'' (1975), with some members not participating on all tracks or doing so only from afar. The few stand-out tracks included a stop-start take on Muddy Waters' "Can't Lose What You Never Had", Betts' instrumental "High Falls", and Allman's Jackson Browne-influenced title song.

The band managed to limp along until 1976, when Gregg Allman was arrested on federal drug charges and agreed to testify against a friend and tour manager and bodyguard for the band, John "Scooter" Herring. Leavell, Johanson, and Williams formed Sea Level, while Betts worked on his solo career. All four swore that they would never work with Allman again.

Meanwhile, Capricorn Records released a compilation album, ''The Road Goes On Forever'', and a poorly received live album, ''Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas''. Neither sold very well.

The group reformed in 1978 and released the strong ''Enlightened Rogues'' (1979). It featured new members Dan Toler (guitar) and David Goldflies (bass), who replaced Leavell and Williams, both of whom concentrated on Sea Level instead. "Crazy Love" was a minor hit single, and the instrumental "Pegasus" got some airplay, but overall The Allman Brothers Band was no longer as popular as before, and financial woes plagued both the group and Capricorn Records, which collapsed in 1979. PolyGram took over the catalogue, and the Allman Brothers Band signed to Arista Records. The group released a pair of critically slammed albums, firing Jaimoe in the process, and then disbanded once again in early 1982.

Allman quickly formed the Gregg Allman Band with the Toler brothers Dan and David ("Frankie") (drums) in 1982 and began touring small venues and clubs. Betts, Leavell, Trucks and Goldflies formed the band Betts Hall Leavell Trucks (BHLT). Neither garnered attention from any record labels. BHLT would dissolve two years later.

The Allman Brothers Band reunited in 1986 for a pair of benefit concerts for promoter Bill Graham in New York and Macon. Allman, Betts, Trucks, Jaimoe, Leavell, and Dan Toler performed together but no subsequent reunion plans for the band were made. The following year, the Gregg Allman Band and the Dickey Betts Band co-headlined a theatre and club tour. After each band played a set of music, Betts, Allman and the Tolers performed a closing set of Allman Brothers music together.

In 1987, Epic Records signed both Allman and Betts to separate solo contracts. The Gregg Allman Band had a surprise FM hit single with the title track to the 1987 album ''I'm No Angel''. ''Just Before the Bullets Fly'' quickly followed from Allman in 1988. The Dickey Betts Band, including Haynes, was also formed during this time and released the album ''Pattern Disruptive'' in 1988. This series of collaboration among bandmembers and interest from a major label during the late 1980s laid the groundwork for the next era of Allman Brothers Band activity and success.

Revival

In 1989 The Allman Brothers reunited and returned to popular consciousness of the American public, spurred by Gregg's recent FM radio success, the release of archival material by PolyGram, and the start of regular appearances on the American summer outdoor amphitheatre circuit. Warren Haynes (guitar, vocals), Johnny Neel (keyboards and harmonica), and Allen Woody (bass guitar) joined originals Allman, Betts, Jaimoe and Trucks. Leavell opted to go on tour again with the Rolling Stones, with whom he has been a touring member since 1982.

After the 20th Anniversary tour, the band signed to Epic Records and released ''Seven Turns'' (1990), which got excellent reviews. This was followed by Neel's departure and a series of moderately-selling, but critically well-received albums including ''Shades Of Two Worlds'' (1991) and ''Where It All Begins'' (1994, certified Gold by the RIAA 1998), both featuring new percussionist Marc Quiñones. Warren Haynes and Allen Woody formed their own side project Gov't Mule in 1994. In 1995, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 1996 they won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "Jessica". When Haynes and Woody decided to concentrate full-time on Gov't Mule in 1997, Haynes was replaced on guitar by Jack Pearson, while Woody was replaced on bass by Oteil Burbridge. Derek Trucks, nephew of original Brother Butch Trucks, replaced Pearson in 1999.

In 2000, the band forced Dickey Betts out for "personal and professional reasons." For this tour, he was replaced by Jimmy Herring. Betts then filed a lawsuit against the other three original members and the summer separation turned into a permanent divorce. Also in 2000, former bassist Allen Woody was found dead on August 26. The band did release the live CD ''Peakin' at the Beacon'' that year which chronicled the now-annual March tradition of a many-night stand at the Beacon Theater in New York City. The band has sold out the 2900-seat Upper West Side Manhattan theatre 188 times since 1989. The tradition is known as the "Beacon Run" among fans, who travel from across the United States, Canada and Western Europe to see these annual March and April shows.

2000's onward

Warren Haynes began appearing with the Allmans again in 2000 and rejoined full-time in 2001, while also maintaining his active schedule with Gov't Mule. (Haynes also toured during this time and later in the decade with former members of the Grateful Dead). Haynes' return marked a new period of stability and productivity for the band after nearly four years of lineup shifts. The Haynes-produced ''Hittin' the Note'' was released in 2003 to popular and critical acclaim, as was the ''Live At the Beacon Theatre'' DVD film (2003, certified Platinum 2004). The live CD ''One Way Out'' (2004) also chronicled the Beacon concerts.

The Allman Brothers garnered back to back Grammy Award nominations in 2003 and 2004 in the category of Best Rock Instrumental for performances of "Instrumental Illness" from ''Hittin' The Note'' and ''One Way Out''. In 2003, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine named Duane Allman, Warren Haynes, Dickey Betts, and Derek Trucks to their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time, with Allman coming in at #2 and Trucks being the youngest guitarist on their list.

The Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks lineup continued the band's connection with younger music fans via concert pairings with popular jam bands The String Cheese Incident, moe, and Dave Matthews Band among others. The Allman Brothers Band continue to be a major attraction at the Bonnaroo Music Festival since 2003. Since 2005, the Allmans have staged their own two day Wanee Music Festival at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park in Live Oak, Florida. The Allmans, Gov't Mule and The Derek Trucks Band perform on different stages along with younger roots artists including the North Mississippi Allstars, Robert Randolph and The Family Band, Medeski, Martin and Wood, Devon Allman's Honeytribe, Nickel Creek, Mofro and others.

Allman Brothers songs have been used in various advertising campaigns and television programs, with the most well-known use being that of "Jessica" used in both the 1977 and 2002 formats of the BBC television series ''Top Gear''. "Jessica" was also used in the film Field of Dreams. It was also the opening song of a famous radio show in the State of Bavaria, Germany during the 70s known as "Club 16" (http://peterhammer.de/sound4/br/club16outro.html with an example while the show ends. )

The band cancelled their Beacon run for 2008 due to Gregg Allman recovering from hepatitis C treatments, but they were back on the road that summer for the amphitheater circuit. On November 20, 2008, The Allman Brothers Band received the Legend Of Live Award at the 2008 Billboard Touring Awards ceremony in New York. The award recognized "a touring professional who has had a significant and lasting impact on the concert industry." At the ceremony, Gregg Allman talked about his brother Duane, saying: "It happens to be today would have been his 62nd birthday and I'm sure he's looking down on this and is really proud of us. We'll keep coming back until we can't come back no more."

The Allman Brothers Band celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2009. That year's Beacon run also marked the 20th anniversary of their appearances in that venue; and the band focused on paying tribute to Duane, inviting guest appearances from those who had played with him. The 15-night stand was considered to be the best Beacon run of all, highlighted by two nights of the first-ever stage appearance of Eric Clapton with the band and performances of numbers from ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs''. Guests on other nights included members of the Grateful Dead, Phish, Levon Helm and his band, and represented genres from bluesman Buddy Guy to jazz great Lenny White to rap-rock-country eccentric Kid Rock. On March 26, three days after the actual anniversary of the band's 1969 forming, what's been known as the "Legendary Jacksonville Jam", the band featured no guests but performed their first two albums in their entirety.

In March 2010, The Allman Brothers Band's New York run changed venues from the Beacon Theater to the far uptown United Palace Theatre, but in March 2011, the Allman Brothers returned to the Beacon Theater, playing their 200th show there on March 26.

Awards and recognition

Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance, 1996, "Jessica"

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1995

''Rolling Stone'' Magazine's "Greatest...of All Time" lists:

100 Greatest Artists of All Time (2004): #52

500 Greatest Albums of All Time (2003): #49 for ''At Fillmore East''

* 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time (2003):

* #2 Duane Allman

* #23 Warren Haynes

* #58 Dickey Betts

* #81 Derek Trucks

Discography

''The Allman Brothers Band'' (1969)

''Idlewild South'' (1970)

''At Fillmore East'' (1971)

''Eat a Peach'' (1972)

''Brothers and Sisters'' (1973)

''Win, Lose or Draw'' (1975)

''Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas'' (1976)

''Enlightened Rogues'' (1979)

''Reach for the Sky'' (1980)

''Brothers of the Road'' (1981)

''Seven Turns'' (1990)

''Shades of Two Worlds'' (1991)

''An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set'' (1992)

''Where It All Begins'' (1994)

''An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set'' (1995)

''Peakin' at the Beacon'' (2000)

''Hittin' the Note'' (2003)

''One Way Out'' (2004)

Lineups

Original members in bold.

800px|left|Pictorial representation of the band's timeline.

See also

''Almost Famous''

List of rock instrumentals

Gregg Allman Band

Sea Level

Gov't Mule

The Derek Trucks Band

The Allman Brothers Band Museum (the "Big House")

References

Further reading

''The Allman Brothers Band: Dreams'' liner notes

Freeman, Scott. ''Midnight Riders: The Story of the Allman Brothers Band'', Little, Brown & Co. 1995.

Reynolds, Dean. ''The Complete Allman Brothers Band Discography'', 2000.

Leavell, Chuck with J. Marshall Craig. ''Between Rock and a Home Place'', Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2004.

Perkins, Willie. ''No Saints, No Saviors'', Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2005.

Poe, Randy. ''Skydog: The Duane Allman Story'', Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 2006.

Reid, Jan. ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos'' (Rock of Ages). New York: Rodale, Inc., 2006.

External links

Official web site

Founding Member Dickey Betts' Website

Flying Frog Records - Butch Trucks' jamband label

Chuck Leavell's website - former keyboardist

David Goldflies' website - former bassist

The Allman Brothers Band at the New Georgia Encyclopedia

The Allman Brothers Band Legends of Southern Rock at Swampland.com

The Allman Brothers Band at RollingStone.com

2009 Concert Photo Gallery

Category:Rock music groups from Florida Category:Jam bands Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Category:Musical groups from Jacksonville, Florida Category:Arista Records artists Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Southern rock musical groups Category:Musical groups established in 1969 Category:Musical sextets Category:Musical septets Category:Epic Records artists

cs:The Allman Brothers Band da:The Allman Brothers Band de:The Allman Brothers Band es:The Allman Brothers Band fr:The Allman Brothers Band gl:The Allman Brothers Band it:The Allman Brothers Band he:להקת האחים אולמן lt:The Allman Brothers Band hu:The Allman Brothers Band nl:The Allman Brothers Band ja:オールマン・ブラザーズ・バンド no:The Allman Brothers Band pl:The Allman Brothers Band pt:The Allman Brothers Band ro:The Allman Brothers Band ru:The Allman Brothers Band simple:Allman Brothers Band sr:Олман брадерс бенд fi:The Allman Brothers Band sv:Allman Brothers Band uk:The Allman Brothers Band

Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
name	Carlos Boozer
position	Power forward
height ft	6
height in	9
weight lb	266
team	Chicago Bulls
number	5
nationality	American
birth date	November 20, 1981
birth place	Aschaffenburg, West Germany
high school	Juneau-Douglas HS (Juneau, Alaska)
college	Duke (1999–2002)
draft round	2
draft pick	35
draft year	2002
draft team	Cleveland Cavaliers
career start	2002
years1	2002–2004
team1	Cleveland Cavaliers
years2	2004–2010
team2	Utah Jazz
years3	2010–present
team3	Chicago Bulls
highlights	2× NBA All-Star (2007–2008) All-NBA Third Team (2008) NBA All-Rookie Second Team (2003) NCAA Champion (2001)
medaltemplates	}}

}} Carlos Austin Boozer, Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American professional basketball player with the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association. As a member of the Team USA, Boozer won an Olympic bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Biography

Although born at a military base in Aschaffenburg, West Germany, Boozer grew up in Juneau, Alaska, in the US. As a child, Boozer and his father practiced outside at his local middle school, throughout the cold Alaska seasons. He attended Juneau-Douglas High School. Boozer was married to his wife CeCe for six years before he filed for divorce in March 2009. Boozer and CeCe have three children together: Carmani (who had a bone marrow transplant in 2007 to treat sickle-cell disease), and twins, Cameron and Cayden. He also has a younger brother, Charles, who previously played basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones. Boozer was reported as having an affair with actress Michelle Money, which Money later confirmed.

High school and college basketball

Boozer was a two-time member of the ''PARADE'' All-American high school basketball team, leading the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears to back-to-back state titles. He was recruited by many top-tier collegiate basketball programs, including St. John's and UCLA, but Boozer elected to play for coach Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University, helping the team win the 2001 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship.

In 2001–02, Boozer, Jason Williams, and Mike Dunleavy, Jr. each scored at least 600 points for the season, a feat only matched at Duke by Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith in the 2009–10 season.

NBA career

Drafted by Cleveland

Boozer declared for the 2002 NBA Draft, relinquishing his final year of NCAA eligibility. He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round of the NBA draft. Boozer averaged 10.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg in his rookie campaign, and followed it up with 15.5 ppg and 11.4 rpg his second year while playing alongside LeBron James.

Free agency controversy

After the 2003–04 NBA season, the Cavaliers had the option of allowing him to become a restricted free agent, or keeping him under contract for one more year at a $695,000 salary. The Cavaliers claimed to have reached an understanding with Boozer and his agent on a deal for approximately $39 million over 6 years, which he would have signed if they let him out of his current deal.

Cleveland then proceeded to release him from his contract making him a restricted free agent. During this period, the Utah Jazz offered Boozer a 6-year, $70 million contract that Cleveland chose not to match due to salary cap considerations.

Carlos Boozer signed with Utah on July 24, 2004.

Boozer denied that he made any commitment to the Cavaliers: "There was no commitment. It's unfortunate how the turn of events went through the media," Boozer said shortly after signing the deal with Utah. "I'm not a guy that gives my word and takes it away. I think I've made that clear." Boozer's agent, Rob Pelinka, subsequently ceased representation, although Pelinka has resumed representing Boozer as of July 2009, when he was eligible for another contract extension.

In addition, former Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund has said, "In the final analysis, I decided to trust Carlos and show him the respect he asked for. He did not show that trust and respect in return."

Utah Jazz (2004–2010)

In his first season with the Jazz (2004–05), Boozer averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds, showing promise and the ability to be the go-to guy, while learning a new system. However, he suffered an injury, missing the later part of the season, which contributed to the Jazz missing the playoffs for only the second time in 22 years, and he was publicly criticized for a lack of effort by team owner Larry Miller.

As the 2005–06 NBA season began, Boozer was still recovering from injury, and then aggravated a hamstring, causing him to miss the first half of that season as well. He returned to action in late February, easing into action by coming off the bench for the Jazz. In the middle of March, he was placed back into the starting lineup. From that point, he finished the season in impressive fashion, averaging over 20 points and almost 10 rebounds per game and firmly establishing himself as the Jazz's starting power forward once again.

Boozer got off to a strong start in the 2006–07 season, winning the Western Conference Player of the Week Award and helping the Jazz to win eleven of their first twelve games. Boozer was named part of the NBA All-Star roster as a reserve, but could not participate because of a hairline fracture in his left fibula.

In an April 23, 2007 game vs. the Houston Rockets (game two of the first round of the 2007 playoffs), Boozer scored 41 points, tying the career high he had set a month earlier on March 26 (vs. the Washington Wizards). He also led the Jazz past the Rockets in game 7 of the first round in the NBA Playoffs, scoring 35 points, grabbing 14 rebounds and two clutch free throws to secure the victory in Boozer's first playoff series.

The Jazz would go on to win their 2nd round series against the upstart Golden State Warriors, 4 games to 1, and advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1998. Even though they lost 4 games to 1 to the more experienced San Antonio Spurs, Boozer proved valuable and durable. He ended the season averaging 20.9 points per game, 11.7 rebounds, and playing in 74 of 82 games. He was even better in the playoffs, increasing his output to 23.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per night and appearing in all 17 Jazz playoff games.

In November, early in the 2007–08 season, Boozer was named Western Conference Player of the Month. By mid-December, he was among the league's top five performers in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. Although he later slipped in all of these categories, he continued to produce solid numbers. Boozer was again chosen as a backup in the All-Star Game, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds in just 19 minutes of play. He registered his first career triple-double against the Seattle SuperSonics on February 13, 2008, with 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

In the playoffs, the Jazz faced the Houston Rockets in the first round for the 2nd year in a row. Determined to not allow him to beat them, the Rockets geared their defense more to stopping Boozer and his production was somewhat limited (16.0 pts and 11.7 rebounds per game), but the Jazz defeated the Rockets, 4–2. In the second round of the 2008 NBA playoffs the Jazz lost to the top seeded Los Angeles Lakers in 6 games.

During the 2008–09 season, Boozer's ability to stay healthy was questioned by fans and media alike, as he missed 44 games following arthroscopic left knee surgery. He missed time from late November 2008 to late February 2009. When he played, his numbers were 16.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists, in 37 games (all starts). With his possible pending free agency at the end of the season looming, it seemed likely Boozer would leave. However, when the deadline for choosing free agency or opting into the remaining year came, he surprised many by opting in for the 2009–10 season with the Jazz. The Jazz management stated publicly they were happy to have him return and play for them, and Boozer did the same.

For the 2009–10 season, Boozer seemed to avoid distraction about his lame-duck status, with no reports of an extension looming with the Jazz. He played well, averaging 19.5 points and 11.2 rebounds per game, and shot 56.2% from the field, a career high. He played in 78 of 82 games and avoided injury, which boded well heading into the 2010 summer, when he would rank as one of the top 5–6 players available.

Chicago Bulls (2010–present)

Boozer joined the Chicago Bulls on July 8, 2010. The deal was brokered as a sign-and-trade with Boozer's former team, the Utah Jazz. Chicago received Boozer and a future second-round pick in exchange for sending Utah a trade exception in the neighborhood of $13–14 million. Despite missing 23 games due to injury, Boozer still managed to average 17.5 points per game and 9.6 rebounds per game while also helping the Bulls get the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

USA Basketball

Boozer was selected as a member of the 2004 USA Olympic men's basketball team which won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games. He was also named to the 2006–08 USA Basketball Men's Senior National Team, but did not compete in the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship due to his wife's pregnancy. Boozer did participate in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games as the USA went unbeaten en route to the gold medal, defeating 2006 World Champion Spain for their first gold medal since the 2000 Olympics.

Player profile

Since his 2002–03 rookie year, Boozer has finished the season among the NBA's top ten performers in field goal percentage six times and has been among the top ten rebounders twice. He is highly regarded by scouts and sports journalists for his strength, rebounding and offensive skill set. For example, David Thorpe, an analyst for ESPN.com, lists Boozer among the "game's best post players" and among the best at scoring (or "finishing") under the basket using either hand. Boozer credits his father for helping him develop his ambidextrous ability. Boozer is represented by Rob Pelinka.

Media appearances

In the 2006–07 NBA season, Boozer appeared in the ''NBA Fundamentals'' series hosted by TNT, in which NBA players explain certain aspects of basketball. He explained the topic "post play." In this clip, Boozer highlighted the technique of how to establish position in the low post, and how to most effectively score from that position. Boozer showcased his array of ambidextrous slam dunks and hook shots, and reminded viewers to insert an occasional jump shot to confuse the opponent. He also expressed his admiration of retired NBA greats Karl Malone and Charles Barkley, who he sees as masters of low post scoring, as well as contemporary colleagues Lamar Odom and Chauncey Billups.

Awards and honors

2× NBA All-Star: 2007, 2008

All-NBA Team:

:*Third Team: 2008

NBA All-Rookie Second Team: 2003

Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympic Games

Gold Medal with Team USA, 2008 Summer Olympic Games

NBA career statistics

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2002–03 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 81 || 54 || 25.3 || .536 || .000 || .771 || 7.5 || 1.3 || .7 || .6 || 10.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2003–04 | style="text-align:left;"| Cleveland | 75 || 75 || 34.6 || .523 || .167 || .768 || 11.4 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .7 || 15.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 51 || 51 || 34.7 || .521 || .000 || .698 || 9.0 || 2.8 || .8 || .5 || 17.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 33 || 19 || 31.1 || .549 || .000 || .723 || 8.6 || 2.7 || .9 || .2 || 16.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 74 || 74 || 34.6 || .561 || .000 || .685 || 11.7 || 3.0 || .9 || .3 || 20.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 81 || 81 || 34.9 || .547 || .000 || .738 || 10.4 || 2.9 || 1.2 || .5 || 21.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 37 || 37 || 32.4 || .490 || .000 || .698 || 10.4 || 2.1 || 1.0 || .2 || 16.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 78 || 78 || 34.3 || .562 || .000 || .742 || 11.2 || 3.2 || 1.1 || .5 || 19.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 59 || 59 || 31.9 || .510 || .000 || .701 || 9.6 || 2.5 || .8 || .3 || 17.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 569 || 528 || 32.6 || .537 || .111 || .725 || 10.1 || 2.5 || 1.0 || .5 || 17.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| All-Star | style="text-align:left;"| | 1 || 0 || 19.0 || .467 || .000 || .000 || 10.0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 14.0

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 17 || 17 || 38.5 || .536 || .000 || .738 || 12.2 || 2.9 || 1.0 || .3 || 23.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 12 || 12 || 36.8 || .415 || .000 || .714 || 12.3 || 2.8 || .5 || .2 || 16.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 5 || 5 || 37.2 || .528 || .000 || .771 || 13.2 || 2.2 || 1.6 || .4 || 20.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 10 || 10 || 40.2 || .530 || .000 || .534 || 13.2 || 3.0 || .4 || .7 || 19.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Chicago | 16 || 16 || 31.7 || .433 || .000 || .800 || 9.7 || 1.8 || .6 || .4 || 12.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Career | style="text-align:left;"| | 60 || 60 || 36.5 || .489 || .000 || .727 || 11.8 || 2.5 || .7 || .4 || 18.2

Notes

External links

Video Interview with Carlos Boozer @ fiba.com

NBA Life: Carlos Boozer video by TNT

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Coordinates	33°51′35.9″N151°12′40″N
Name	Yao Ming
Height ft	7 |height_in 6
Weight lb	310
Number	11
Position	Center
Birth date	September 12, 1980
Birth place	Shanghai, China
Nationality	Chinese
Draft round	1
Draft pick	1
Draft team	Houston Rockets
Draft year	2002
Years1	1997–2002 |team1 Shanghai Sharks (China)
Years2	– |team2 Houston Rockets
Career start	1997
Career end	2011
Highlights	8× NBA All-Star (–, ) 2× All-NBA Second Team (, ) 3× All-NBA Third Team (, , ) NBA All-Rookie First Team () 2002 FIBA World Championship All-Tournament Team 3× FIBA Asian Championship MVP (2001, 2003, 2005)
Stat1label	Points
Stat1value	9,247 (19.0 ppg)
Stat2label	Assists
Stat2value	769 (1.6 apg)
Stat3label	Rebounds
Stat3value	4,494 (9.2 rpg)
Letter	m
Bbr	mingya01 }}

}}

Title	Yao Ming
S	姚明
T	姚明
Showflag	st
P	Yáo Míng
Mi
showflag	jyp }}

Yao Ming (born September 12, 1980) is a retired Chinese professional basketball player who last played for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As of the 2010–11 NBA season, he was the tallest player in the NBA, at .

Yao, who was born in Shanghai, started playing for the Shanghai Sharks as a teenager, and played on their senior team for five years in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), winning a championship in his final year. After negotiating with the CBA and the Sharks to secure his release, Yao was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. Yao was selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and was named to the All-NBA Team five times. He reached the NBA Playoffs four times, and the Rockets won a first-round series in the 2009 postseason, their first playoff series victory since 1997. However, Yao missed 250 regular-season games due to foot and ankle injuries in his final six seasons.

He is one of China's best-known athletes, with sponsorships with several major companies. His rookie year in the NBA was the subject of a documentary film, ''The Year of the Yao'', and he co-wrote, along with NBA analyst Ric Bucher, an autobiography titled ''Yao: A Life in Two Worlds''.

Career in China

Early life and CBA career

Yao is the only child of 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) Yao Zhiyuan and 6 ft 3 in (1.90 m) Fang Fengdi, both of whom were former professional basketball players. At , Yao weighed more than twice as much as the average Chinese newborn, and grew to be 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) by age ten. At that age, he was examined by sports doctors, who predicted he would grow to 7 feet 3 inches (2.20 m). He began playing basketball at age nine, and went to a junior sports school at the same age.

Yao first tried out for the Shanghai Sharks junior team of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) when he was 13 years old, and practiced for 10 hours a day to make the team. After playing with the junior team for four years, Yao joined the senior team of the Sharks at age 17, and averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds a game in his rookie season. However, his next season was cut short when he broke his foot for the second time in his career, which Yao said decreased his jumping ability by four to six inches (10 to 15 cm). The Sharks made the finals of the CBA in Yao’s third season and again the next year, but lost both times to the Bayi Rockets. When Wang Zhizhi left the Bayi Rockets to become the first NBA player from China the following year, the Sharks finally won their first CBA championship. During the playoffs in his final year with Shanghai, Yao averaged 38.9 points and 20.2 rebounds a game, while shooting 76.6% from the field, and made all 21 of his shots during one game in the finals.

Entering the NBA Draft

Yao was pressured to enter the NBA Draft in 1999 by Li Yaomin, the deputy general manager of the Shanghai Sharks. Li also influenced Yao to sign a contract for Evergreen Sports Inc. to serve as his agent. The agreement entitled Evergreen to 33% of Yao's earnings, but the contract was later determined to be invalid.

When Yao decided to enter the 2002 NBA Draft, a group of advisers was formed that came to be known as “Team Yao”. The team consisted of Yao’s negotiator, Erik Zhang; his NBA agent, Bill Duffy; his Chinese agent, Lu Hao; University of Chicago economics professor John Huizinga; and the vice president for marketing at BDA Sports Management, Bill Sanders. Yao was widely predicted to be picked number one overall. However, some teams were concerned about Yao's NBA eligibility due to uncertainty over whether the CBA would let Yao play in the United States.

Shortly after Wang Zhizhi refused to return to China to play for the national team and was subsequently banned from playing for China, the CBA stipulated that Yao would have to return to play for the national team. They also said they would not let him go to the United States unless the Houston Rockets would take him first overall. After assurances from Team Yao that the Rockets would draft Yao with their number one pick, the CBA gave permission on the morning of the draft for Yao to play in the U.S. When the Rockets selected Yao with the first pick of the draft, he became the first international player ever to be selected first overall without having previously played U.S. college basketball.

NBA career

Initial years (2002–2005)

Yao did not participate in the Rockets' pre-season training camp, instead playing for China in the 2002 FIBA World Championships. Before the season, several commentators, including Bill Simmons and Dick Vitale, predicted that Yao would fail in the NBA, and Charles Barkley said he would "kiss [Kenny Smith's] ass" if Yao scored more than 19 points in one of his rookie-season games. Yao played his first NBA game against the Indiana Pacers, scoring no points and grabbing two rebounds, and scored his first NBA basket against the Denver Nuggets. In his first seven games, he averaged only 14 minutes and 4 points, but on November 17, he scored 20 points on a perfect 9-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free-throw line against the Lakers. Barkley made good on his bet by kissing the buttock of a donkey purchased by Smith for the occasion (Smith's "ass").

In Yao's first game in Miami on December 16, 2002, the Heat passed out 8,000 fortune cookies, an Asian stereotype. Yao was not angry with the promotion because he was not familiar with American stereotypes of Chinese. In an earlier interview in 2000, Yao said he had never seen a fortune cookie in China. He guessed it must have been an American invention.

Before Yao’s first meeting with Shaquille O'Neal on January 17, 2003, O'Neal said, "Tell Yao Ming, Ching chong-yang-wah-ah-soh", prompting accusations of racism. O'Neal denied that his comments were racist, and said he was only joking. Yao also said he believed O'Neal was joking, but he said a lot of Asians would not see the humor. In the game, Yao scored six points and blocked O'Neal twice in the opening minutes, and made a game-sealing dunk with 10 seconds left in overtime. Yao finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks; O'Neal recorded 31 points, 13 rebounds, and 0 blocks.

The NBA began offering All-Star ballots in three languages—English, Spanish and Chinese—for fan voting of the starters for the 2003 NBA All-Star Game. Yao was voted to start for the West over O'Neal, who was coming off three consecutive NBA Finals MVP Awards. Yao received nearly a quarter million more votes than O'Neal, and he became the first rookie to start in the All-Star Game since Grant Hill in 1995.

Yao finished his rookie season averaging 13.5 points per game and 8.2 rebounds per game, and was second in the NBA Rookie of the Year Award voting to Amar'e Stoudemire, and a unanimous pick for the NBA All-Rookie First Team selection. He was also voted the ''Sporting News'' Rookie of the Year, and won the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award.

Before the start of Yao's sophomore season, Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned due to health issues, and long-time New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was brought in. After Van Gundy began focusing the offense on Yao, Yao averaged career highs in points and rebounds for the season, and had a career-high 41 points and 7 assists in a triple-overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks in February 2004. He was also voted to be the starting center for the Western Conference in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game for the second straight year. Yao finished the season averaging 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds a game. The Rockets made the playoffs for the first time in Yao's career, claiming the seventh seed in the Western Conference. In the first round, however, the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated Houston in five games. Yao averaged 15.0 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first playoff series.

In the summer of 2004, the Rockets acquired Tracy McGrady from the Orlando Magic in a seven-player trade that also sent Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley to Orlando. Although Yao said that Francis and Mobley had "helped [him] in every way [his] first two seasons", he added, "I'm excited about playing with Tracy McGrady. He can do some amazing things." After the trade, it was predicted that the Rockets would be title contenders. Both McGrady and Yao were voted to start in the 2005 NBA All-Star Game, and Yao broke the record previously held by Michael Jordan for most All-Star votes, with 2,558,278 total votes. The Rockets won 51 games and finished fifth in the West, and made the playoffs for the second consecutive year, where they faced the Dallas Mavericks. The Rockets won the first two games in Dallas, and Yao made 13 of 14 shots in the second game, the best shooting performance in the playoffs in Rockets history. However the Rockets lost four of their last five games and lost Game 7 by 40 points, the largest Game 7 deficit in NBA history. Yao's final averages for the series were 21.4 points on 65% shooting and 7.7 rebounds.

Injury-plagued seasons (2005–2011)

After missing only two games out of 246 in his first three years of NBA play, Yao endured an extended period on the inactive list in his fourth season after developing osteomyelitis in the big toe on his left foot, and surgery was performed on the toe on December 18, 2005. Despite missing 21 games while recovering, Yao again had the most fan votes to start the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.

thumb|left|In his [[2006–07 NBA season|fifth season, Yao averaged a career-high 25 points per game.]]In 25 games after the All-Star break, Yao averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.7% from the field and 87.8% at the free-throw line. His final averages in 57 games were 22.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. It was the first time that he ended the season with a so-called "20/10" average. However, Tracy McGrady played only 47 games in the season, missing time because of back spasms. Yao and McGrady played only 31 games together, and the Rockets did not make the playoffs, winning only 34 games. With only four games left in the season, Yao suffered another injury in a game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, 2006, which left him with a broken bone in his left foot. The injury required six months of rest.

Early into his fifth season, Yao was injured again, this time breaking his right knee on December 23, 2006, while attempting to block a shot. Up to that point he had been averaging 26.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game, and had been mentioned as an NBA MVP candidate. Yao was unable to play in what would have been his fifth All-Star game; he was medically cleared to play on March 4, 2007, after missing 34 games.

Despite Yao's absence, the Rockets made the playoffs with the home court advantage against the Utah Jazz in the first round. The Rockets won the first two games, but then lost four of five games and were eliminated in Game 7 at home; Yao scored 29 points—15 in the fourth quarter. Although he averaged 25.1 points and 10.3 rebounds for the series, Yao said afterwards "I didn't do my job". At the end of the season, Yao was selected to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time in his career, after being selected to the All-NBA Third Team twice.

On May 18, 2007, only weeks after the Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy was dismissed as head coach. Three days later, the Rockets signed former Sacramento Kings coach Rick Adelman, who was thought to focus more on offense than the defensive-minded Van Gundy.

On November 9, 2007, Yao played against fellow Chinese NBA and Milwaukee Bucks player Yi Jianlian for the first time. The game, which the Rockets won 104–88, was broadcast on 19 networks in China, and was watched by over 200 million people in China alone, making it one of the most-watched NBA games in history. In the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, Yao was once again voted to start at center for the Western Conference. Before the All-Star weekend, the Rockets had won eight straight games, and after the break, they took their win streak to 12 games. On February 26, 2008, however, it was reported that Yao would miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his left foot. He missed the 2008 NBA Playoffs, but he did not miss the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing, China in August. After Yao's injury, the Rockets stretched their winning streak to 22 games, the second-longest in NBA history. Yao underwent a successful operation on March 3, which placed screws in his foot to strengthen the bone, and recovery time was estimated at four months. Yao's final averages in 55 games were 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks a game.

The next season, Yao played 77 games, his first full season since the 2004–05 season, and averaged 19.7 points and 9.9 rebounds, while shooting 54.8% from the field, and a career-high 86.6% from the free throw line. Despite McGrady suffering a season-ending injury in February, the Rockets finished with 53 wins and the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Facing the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round, Yao finished with 24 points on 9 of 9 shooting in the first game, and the Rockets won 108–81, in Portland. The Rockets won all their games in Houston, and advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997, and the first time in Yao's career.

The Rockets faced the Lakers in the second round, and Yao scored 28 points, with 8 points in the final four minutes, to lead the Rockets to a 100–92 win in Los Angeles. However, the Rockets lost their next two games, and Yao was diagnosed with a sprained ankle after Game 3. A follow-up test revealed a hairline fracture in his left foot, and he was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs. In reaction, Yao said the injury, which did not require surgery, was "better than last year". However, follow-up analysis has indicated that the injury could be career threatening. The Yao-less Rockets went on to win Game 4 against the Lakers to even the series 2–2. The Rockets eventually lost the series in seven games.

In July 2009, Yao discussed the injury with his doctors, and the Rockets applied for a disabled player exception, an exception to the NBA Salary Cap which grants the injured player's team money to sign a free agent. The Rockets were granted the exception, and used approximately $5.7 million on free agent Trevor Ariza. After weeks of consulting, it was decided that Yao would undergo surgery in order to repair the broken bone in his left foot. He did not play the entire 2009–10 season.

For the 2010–11 season, the Rockets said they would limit Yao to 24 minutes a game, with no plan to play him on back-to-back nights. Their goal was to keep Yao healthy in the long term. On December 16, 2010, it was announced that Yao had developed a stress fracture in his left ankle, related to an older injury, and would miss the rest of the season. In January 2011, he was voted as the Western Conference starting center for the 2011 All-Star Game for the eighth time in nine seasons. Injured All-Stars are usually required to attend the All-Star functions and to be introduced at the game, but Yao was not in Los Angeles because of his rehabilitation schedule after his surgery. Yao's contract with the Rockets expired at the end of the season, and he became a free agent.

Retirement

On July 20, 2011, Yao announced his retirement from basketball in a press conference in Shanghai. He cited injuries to his foot and ankle, including the third fracture to his left foot sustained near the end of 2010. His retirement sparked over 1.2 million comments on the Chinese social-networking site Sina Weibo. Reacting to Yao's retirement, NBA commissioner David Stern said Yao was a "bridge between Chinese and American fans" and that he had "a wonderful mixture of talent, dedication, humanitarian aspirations and a sense of humor." Shaquille O'Neal said Yao "was very agile. He could play inside, he could play outside, and if he didn't have those injuries he could've been up there in the top five centers to ever play the game."

Yao was nominated by a member of the Chinese media for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a contributor to the game. He would have been eligible for induction as early as 2012, but Yao felt it was too soon and requested that the Hall of Fame delay consideration of the nomination. The Hall said it was Yao's decision when the process would be restarted.

International career

2000 and 2004 Olympics

Yao first played for China in the Summer Olympics at the 2000 Olympics Basketball Tournament, and he was dubbed, together with teammates Wang Zhizhi and Mengke Bateer, "The Walking Great Wall". During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony, which he said was a “long dream come true”. He then vowed to abstain from shaving his beard for half a year unless the Chinese national basketball team made it into the quarter-finals of the 2004 Olympics Basketball Tournament. After Yao scored 39 points in a win against New Zealand, China lost 58–83, 57–82, and 52–89 against Spain, Argentina and Italy respectively. In the final group game, however, a 67–66 win over the reigning 2002 FIBA World Champions Serbia and Montenegro moved them into the quarterfinals. Yao scored 27 points and had 13 rebounds, and he hit two free throws with 28 seconds left that proved to be the winning margin. He averaged 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.

Asian Championships

Yao led the Chinese national team to 3 consecutive FIBA Asian Championship gold medals, winning the 2001 FIBA Asian Championship, the 2003 FIBA Asian Championship, and the 2005 FIBA Asian Championship. He was also named the MVP of all three tournaments.

2006 World Championships

Yao’s injury at the end of the 2005–06 NBA season required a full six months of rest, threatening his participation in the 2006 FIBA World Championship. However, he recovered before the start of the tournament, and in the last game of the preliminary round, he had 36 points and 10 rebounds in a win against Slovenia to lead China into the Round of 16. In the first knockout round, however, China was defeated by eventual finalist Greece. Yao's final averages were 25.3 points, the most in the tournament, and 9.0 rebounds a game, which was fourth overall.

2008 Olympics

After having surgery to repair his fractured foot, Yao said that if he could not play in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, "It would be the biggest loss in my career to right now". However, he returned to play with the Chinese national team on July 17, 2008. On August 6, Yao carried the Olympic Flame into Tiananmen Square, as part of the Olympic torch relay. He also carried the Chinese flag and led his country's delegation during the opening ceremony. Yao scored the first basket of the game, a three-pointer, in China's opening game against the eventual gold medal-winning United States.

"I was just really happy to make that shot," Yao said after the Americans’ 101–70 victory. “It was the first score in our Olympic campaign here at home and I’ll always remember it. It represents that we can keep our heads up in the face of really tough odds."

Following an overtime defeat to Spain, Yao scored 30 points in a win over Angola, and 25 points in a three-point win against Germany, which clinched China's place in the quarterfinals. However, China lost to Lithuania in the quarterfinals by 26 points, eliminating them from the tournament. Yao's 19 points a game were the second-highest in the Olympics, and his averages of 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game were third overall.

Career statistics

CBA statistics

!Year	!Team	!GP	!RPG	!APG	!FG%	!FT%	!PPG
		21	8.3	1.3	.615	.485	10.0
	Shanghai	12	12.9	1.7	.585	.699	20.9
	Shanghai	33	14.5	1.7	.585	.683	21.2
	Shanghai	22	19.4	2.2	.679	.799	27.1
	Shanghai	24	19.0	1.9	.721	.759	32.4
		122	15.4	1.8	.651	.723	23.4

NBA statistics

Regular season

|- | align="left"| 2002–03 | align="left"| Houston | 82||72||29.0||.498||.500||.811||8.2||1.7||.4||1.8||13.5 |- | align="left"| 2003–04 | align="left"| Houston | 82||82||32.8||.522||.000||.809||9.0||1.5||.3||1.9||17.5 |- | align="left"| 2004–05 | align="left"| Houston | 80||80||30.6||.552||.000||.783||8.4||.8||.4||2.0||18.3 |- | align="left"| 2005–06 | align="left"| Houston | 57||57||34.2||.519||.000||.853||10.2||1.5||.5||1.6||22.3 |- | align="left"| 2006–07 | align="left"| Houston | 48||48||33.8||.516||.000||.862||9.4||2.0||.3||2.0||25.0 |- | align="left"| 2007–08 | align="left"| Houston | 55||55||37.2||.507||.000||.850||10.8||2.3||.4||2.0||22.0 |- | align="left"| 2008–09 | align="left"| Houston | 77||77||33.6||.548||1.000||.866||9.9||1.8||.4||2.0||19.7 |- | align="left"| 2010–11 | align="left"| Houston | 5||5||18.2||.486||.000||.938||5.4||.8||.0||1.6||10.2 |- | align="left"| Career | align="left"| | 486||476||32.5||.524||.200||.833||9.2||1.6||.4||1.9||19.0 |- | align="left"| All-Star | align="left"| | 5||5||18.2||.529||.000||.667||4.2||1.6||.2||.2||8.0

Playoffs

|- | align="left"| 2003–04 | align="left"| Houston | 5||5||37.0||.456||.000||.765||7.4||1.8||.4||1.4||15.0 |- | align="left"| 2004–05 | align="left"| Houston | 7||7||31.4||.655||.000||.727||7.7||.7||.3||2.7||21.4 |- | align="left"| 2006–07 | align="left"| Houston | 7||7||37.1||.440||.000||.880||10.3||.9||.1||.7||25.1 |- | align="left"| 2008–09 | align="left"| Houston | 9||9||35.9||.545||.000||.902||10.9||1.0||.4||1.1||17.1 |- | align="left"| Career | align="left"| | 28||28||35.3||.519||.000||.833||9.3||1.0||.3||1.5||19.8

Awards and achievements

8× NBA All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

5× All-NBA Team:

:* Second Team: 2007, 2009 :* Third Team: 2004, 2006, 2008

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2003

NBA Rookie All-Star Game: 2004

Gold medal winner with Team China at the 2001, 2003, 2005 FIBA Asian Championship

MVP of the 2001, 2003, 2005 FIBA Asian Championship

All-Tournament Team, FIBA World Championship: 2002

Chinese Basketball Association Champion: 2001–02

Rebounding leader in CBA in 2001–02

2003 ''Sporting News'' Rookie of the Year

2003 ''Laureus Newcomer of the Year''

Off the court

Personal life

Yao is married to Ye Li, a women's basketball player for China. He met her when he was 17 years old. Ye was not fond of Yao at first, but finally accepted him after he gave her the team pins he had collected during the 2000 Summer Olympics. She is the only woman he has ever dated. Their relationship became public when they appeared together during the 2004 Olympics closing ceremony. On August 6, 2007, Yao married Ye in a ceremony attended by close friends and family and closed to the media.

In 2004, Yao co-wrote an autobiography with ESPN sportswriter Ric Bucher, entitled ''Yao: A Life in Two Worlds''. In the same year, he was also the subject of a documentary film, ''The Year of the Yao'', which focuses on his NBA rookie year. The film is narrated by his friend and former interpreter, Colin Pine, who stayed with Yao during Yao's rookie year, and interpreted for him for three years. In 2005, former ''Newsweek'' writer Brook Larmer published a book entitled ''Operation Yao Ming'', in which he said that Yao's parents were convinced to marry each other so that they would produce a dominant athlete, and that during Yao's childhood, he was given special treatment to help him become a great basketball player. In 2009, Yao provided the voice for a character of a Chinese animated film ''The Magic Aster'', released on June 19.

On May 21, 2010, the couple's first child—a daughter named Yao Qinlei, whose English name is Amy—was born in Houston.

Yao enrolled in the Antai College of Economics & Management of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2011. He is taking a tailored degree program with mostly one-on-one lectures to avoid being a distraction on campus.

Public life

Yao is one of China's most recognizable athletes, along with Liu Xiang. As of 2009, he had led Forbes' Chinese celebrities list in income and popularity for six straight years, earning US$51 million (CN¥357 million) in 2008. A major part of his income comes from his sponsorship deals, as he is under contract with several major companies to endorse their products. He was signed by Nike until the end of his rookie season. When Nike decided not to renew his contract, he signed with Reebok. He also had a deal with Pepsi, and he successfully sued Coca-Cola in 2003 when they used his image on their bottles while promoting the national team. However, he has since signed with Coca-Cola for the 2008 Olympics. His other deals include partnerships with Visa, Apple, Garmin, and McDonald’s.

Yao has also participated in many charity events during his career, including the NBA’s Basketball Without Borders program. In the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao hosted a telethon, which raised 300,000 U.S. dollars to help stop the spread of SARS. In September 2007, he held an auction that raised 965,000 U.S. dollars (6.75 million yuan), and competed in a charity basketball match to raise money for underprivileged children in China. He was joined by fellow NBA stars Steve Nash, Carmelo Anthony, and Baron Davis, and movie star Jackie Chan. After the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, Yao donated $2 million to relief work, and created a foundation to help rebuild schools destroyed in the earthquake.

On July 16, 2009, Yao bought his former club team, the Shanghai Sharks, which were on the verge of not being able to play the next season of the Chinese Basketball Association due to financial troubles.

See also

List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history

References

External links

NBA.com Official Yao Ming player profile

Club Yao – Official Yao Ming fan club

The Yao Ming Foundation official website

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Basketball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Centers (basketball) Category:Chinese Basketball Association players Category:Chinese expatriate basketball people in the United States Category:Houston Rockets draft picks Category:Houston Rockets players Category:Laureus World Sports Awards winners Category:Olympic basketball players of China Category:People from Shanghai Category:Shanghai Sharks players Category:Shanghai Jiao Tong University alumni Category:Article Feedback 5

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