Sports legends Nicol David and Yao Ming meet in Beijing, with height jokes and a shared mission for children

KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — Datuk Nicol David’s Instagram post this week has left fans both inspired and highly entertained after the Malaysian squash legend shared photos of herself meeting former NBA giant Yao Ming in Beijing.

The eight-time world squash champion described it as “an absolute honour” to meet the Chinese basketball icon during her visit to the Chinese capital.

But while the two sports legends bonded over their shared passion for helping children through sports, social media users could not help being distracted by the dramatic height difference between the pair.

“The size difference is crazy,” wrote one commenter.

Another joked: “If you want to get someone to install a roof now, you won’t even need a ladder anymore.”

One user quipped that the squash racquet held by Yao looked like “a mosquito swatter”.

Another added: “Wow. He made that tennis racket look like a kid’s racket and u made the basketball look like a tiny one too. Lol.”

Others leaned fully into the sports puns.

“Luckily he didn’t fall over and SQUASH you,” one commenter wrote.

Despite the jokes, many also praised the meeting of two decorated athletes using their fame for a common cause.

“Two sports giants with gigantic hearts to help children of the world,” read one comment.

Yao, who stands at 2.29 metres, established the Yao Foundation in 2008 following the devastating Sichuan earthquake.

The foundation focuses on improving education, health and self-esteem among children in rural China through sports and physical education programmes.

According to Nicol, the foundation has built 28 schools and impacted about 6.7 million children so far.

The Malaysian sports icon also shared details about the Nicol David Organisation, the non-profit she co-founded in 2022 with former Colombian squash player Mariana de Reyes.

She said the organisation hopes to help transform Malaysia through sports and education while encouraging children to lead healthier and happier lives.

Nicol said the foundation is expected to impact 5,000 children this year.

“My foundation is only four years old but this year we will impact 5,000 children — one day I hope to say we have impacted millions,” she wrote.

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