Fortune names LeBron James, Yao Ming, Adam Silver to World's Greatest Leaders list
Three NBA personalities were named to Fortune's "The World's 50 Greatest Leaders" list for 2015.
At number 26 is former Houston Rockets center Yao Ming.
Not only did Yao capture eight all-star selections and five all-NBA selections over his memorable eight-year career, Yao was also a pioneer, as he helped established a connection between Asia and the NBA.
Yao retired in 2011 and has since become an ambassador, championing the cause of putting an end to animal abuse. Yao has spoken out against China's illegal ivory trade and shark hunting practices.
Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James ranked 31st.
James is the league's biggest star, a two-time champion and four-time MVP. James lands on the list for returning to Cleveland last summer and for being elected as the vice-president of the NBA Players' Association.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ranked 47th on the list.
Silver was lauded for his handling of the Donald Sterling saga, as well as his energetic and creative approach to managing the league. Silver scored points for being open-minded about topics such as shortening preseason, changing playoff structure and efforts to improve competitiveness.