Yao, a seven-foot-five centre, was selected first overall by the Houston Rockets, marking the first time a foreign player who did not play in college in the United States went No. 1 in the draft.
Yao, who played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese league, was expected to be chosen first overall, but perhaps what wasn't expected was the number of international players chosen in the first round of the draft.
Six players, including Yao, were among the first 28 picks of the draft.
Yao Ming is the first foreign non-NCAA player drafted No. 1.(AP Photo)
The Denver Nuggets selected Italian forward Nikoloz Tskitishvili (fifth), the New York Knicks chose Brazilian teenager Maybyner (Nene) Hilario (seventh), the Houston Rockets picked Italian league star Bostjan Nachbar (15th), the Philadelphia 76ers scooped up Czech guard Jiri Welsch (16th) and the New Jersey Nets selected Yugoslavian centre Nenad Krstic (24th).
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Trade rumours circled around Madison Square Garden throughout the evening, and most of them involved the New York Knicks.
The Knicks put those rumours to reality when they acquired former all-star Antonio McDyess and the 25th overall pick (Frank Williams of Illinois) from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Marcus Camby, Mark Jackson and the rights to the No. 7 pick, Hilario.
In a later trade, Philadelphia dealt Welsch to Golden State for a future first-round pick and a future first- or second-round pick.
The Toronto Raptors selected Missouri guard Kareem Rush as their first-round pick (20th overall), but later traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers along with veteran guard Tracy Murray for backup point guard Lindsey Hunter and Fresno State forward Chris Jefferies, the Lakers' first-round pick (27th overall).
Though the Rockets wanted Yao as their first pick, there was some worries as to whether the Chinese national team would allow their star player to be available for full service in the NBA.
But early Wednesday, the Chinese federation gave permission for Yao to be drafted, so long as he would be available for national team commitments.
The Sharks had originally withheld Yao from the Draft because Chinese sports officials feared his departure could cause further damage to its fledgling professional league.
Yao did not attend Wednesday's draft at Madison Square Garden. The 21-year-old was in Beijing for training with the Chinese national team for an upcoming four-nation tournament. Commissioner David Stern announced the pick in New York.
"The whole franchise wanted this so badly. I just felt that it would all be worked out," Houston general manager Carroll Dawson said.
"This is a new start in my basketball and life career," Yao said through an interpreter. "There will be a new challenge for me. I am confident I will learn from the NBA and improve myself."
Duke guard Jason Williams went second to the Chicago Bulls. Williams earned the 2002 Wooden Award as the nation's top player after averaging 21.3 points, 5.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game last season.
The Golden State Warriors used the third selection to grab another Duke player, forward Mike Dunleavy Jr. Dunleavy averaged 17.3 points and 7.2 rebounds during his junior campaign and became the 50th Blue Devil to reach 1,000 career points.
Jerry West used the fourth overall pick to draft Kansas forward Drew Gooden for his Memphis Grizzlies. Gooden was a First-Team All-American as well as the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2002 after averaging 20.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per outing.
Denver selected Tskitishvili with the fifth pick. The 18-year-old forward was one of the top overall prospects in Europe. Tskitishvili spent the 2001-02 season in Italy, playing for Benetton Treviso. He averaged 7.7 points on 74 per cent shooting from the field, including 42 per cent from three-point range.
Memphis guard Dajuan Wagner was taken sixth by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Wagner entered the Draft after just one season with the Tigers. He averaged 21.2 points per game as a freshman, setting a school record for points with 762.
The New York Knicks chose 19-year-old Brazilian forward Hilario with the seventh selection and later sent him to Denver. He captured the 2000-01 Brazilian National Championship and was a member of the Brazilian National Team at the 2001 South American Championships.
Maryland forward Chris Wilcox was taken by the Los Angeles Clippers with the eighth choice. Wilcox averaged 12.0 points and 7.1 boards during his sophomore campaign in 2001-02 and was a key factor in the Terrapins' march to the NCAA title.
Phoenix chose high school star Amare Stoudemire at No. 9. Stoudemire averaged 30 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks a game for Cypress Creek. He was named Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida and was a finalist for the Naismith Award.
Miami concluded the top-10 by selecting Connecticut forward Caron Butler. He was the 2002 Big East Co-Player of the Year after leading the Huskies to a 27-7 mark. Butler finished the 2001-02 campaign with averages of 20.3 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest.
In other draft news, Orlando traded its 18th pick, Chris Borchardt, to Utah for the 19th pick, Ryan Humphrey, and a second-round pick, and Sacramento dealt the 29th pick, Gonzaga's Dan Dickau, to Atlanta for a future first round pick.
