China's fans all in for All-Star Game

The NBA began offering All-Star ballots in three languages－English, Spanish and Chinese－for the fan vote in 2003. Yao was voted to start for the West ahead of Shaquille O'Neal, who was coming off three straight NBA Finals MVP awards. Yao received nearly a quarter million more votes than O'Neal to become the first rookie to start in the All-Star Game since Grant Hill in 1995.

Yao notched 16 points in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game－his best haul from his eight appearances in the showpiece.