Yao Ming NBA's No. 1 center: Dime Magazine

Yao Ming and Juwan Howard of the Houston Rockets talk during the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center, March 2007 in Los Angeles, California. [AFP]

Chinese basketball star Yao Ming was named No. 1 on the list of NBA's top 10 centers, according to a report in Dime magazine, issued on June 18.

The magazine describes Yao Ming thus:

"Instead of dominating for a few minutes here and there, Yao took over entire games this year, averaging 25 points, 9.4 boards and 2 blocks a night and entering the MVP discussion before a leg injury limited him to just 48 games. Yao's conditioning has improved since he first came into the League, allowing him to stay on the court and avoid senseless fouls. Houston is still T-Mac's team, but no way can they even challenge Utah in seven games without the best center in the League."

Names on the top 10 list following Yao Ming include Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns), Shaquille O'Neal (Miami Heat), Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) and Marcus Camby (Denver Nuggets).

Dime Magazine is an American basketball magazine that has been in circulation since 2002.

NBA's Top 10 Centers by Dime Magazine:

1. Yao Ming (Houston Rockets)
2. Amare Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns)
3. Shaquille O'Neal (Miami Heat)
4. Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic)
5. Marcus Camby (Denver Nuggets)
6. Tyson Chandler (New Orleans Hornets)
7. Eddy Curry (New York Knicks)
8. Ben Wallace (Chicago Bulls)
9. Mehmet Okur (Utah Jazz)
10. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland Cavalier)