Yao Ming revealed recently that he is partially deaf in his left ear. Yao had an allergic reaction to a medicine when he was eight years old, which left him with just 40% hearing in his left ear. He said it wasn't much of a problem ("Sometimes, when it's really loud on the court, I can't hear clearly") but this is another hurdle the 7'6" giant had to clear in his path to NBA stardom.