Yao Ming made history on Friday, becoming the first Chinese player memorialized in the Basketball Hall of Fame. In his acceptance speech, the Chinese superstar gave special thanks to many of his former coaches and teammates, including Steve Francis, whom he referred to as "the perfect big brother."

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Yao, the tallest player in the Basketball Hall of Fame at 7-feet-6-inches tall, towers over his "big brother," a 6-foot-three guard.

In a recent article, Yao wrote that when he came to the US, Francis was instrumental in helping him acclimate to his new surroundings.

"Steve was very warm and very passionate," Yao said. "He was determined to introduce me to everyone on the [Houston Rockets]."

Francis, a three-time NBA All Star, also reminisced about his special relationship with Yao over the weekend, publishing an article on the Player's Tribune titled "My Brother Yao."

In his article, Francis looks back at his involvement in the 2002 NBA draft, in which Yao made history as the first international player to be selected number one. Francis represented the Houston Rockets at the draft lottery that year.

"I like to think I played a small part in bringing Yao to Houston," penned Francis, who also noted that the top two picks came down to the Rockets and the Chicago Bulls. "Yao as a Chicago Bull? No sir. Wasn't gonna happen on my watch," said Francis.

Francis was not the only player to make Yao feel welcome. In his speech, the Chinese big man also mentioned Rocket's shooting guard Cuttino Mobley as the man who introduced him to soul food.

"Thank you to Steve, Cuttino, and everyone on my early Rockets teams for making me feel so welcome," he said.

You can read Yao's speech in its entirety on Asian Players.

TagsYao Ming, Steve Francis, NBA Hall of Fame, soul food, houston rockets, Chicago Bulls