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Yao Ming: The Next Asian Superstar?
(Updated Wednesday, Jan 22, 2025, 06:38:56 AM)

he sweetest moment for Asian men in American sports came on June 26, 2002 at Madison Square Garden. The Houston Rockets had just spent their number one overall draft pick on 7-5 Chinese center Yao Ming over 6-2 Duke guard Jay Williams. The largely black crowd of draft prospects and their contingents had reason to be displeased. For the past quarter century black athletes had dominated pro basketball and they saw Yao as a subversive force, an alien threat. Even Charles Barkley -- Yao's basketball idol -- sniped at Houston's choice and hinted at bad consequences.
Yao Ming
David or Goliath?

     What's wrong with this picture?
     In the global sports scene blacks have come to represent all-around athletic prowess. Asian athletes, on the other hand, have been painted as disciplined and skilled but lacking power and size, able to excel only in sports no one cares about. For an Asian to get the top pick in a black-dominated sport was heresy.
     To appreciate what Yao represents to Asian American men requires a quick trip down memory lane. And we do mean quick. The lane is short and sparsely populated.
     In the beginning there was Sammy Lee, the first Asian American to win Olympic gold. He did it with 10-meter platform diving at the 1948 London games and again in 1952 at the Helsinki games. Not exactly a marquee sport, but inspiring nevertheless in a time when Asian Americans hardly knew what to call themselves.
     Then came Michael Chang whose 1989 French Open championship has passed into tennis legend. Cramping and down two sets to Ivan Lendl in the round of 16, the 17-year-old phenom dared to discombobulate the Ice Man with moonballs and an underhanded serve. The ploy worked. The proof that Chang's nerves and speed were real came in the classic 5-set finals victory against Stefan Edberg. But Chang's recent ignomious descent into tennis twilight raises the suspicion that he simply lacks the size and power to stay in the power game.
     It wasn't until Hideo Nomo joined the Dodgers in 1995 that an Asian athlete was able to inspire sustained frenzy in one of the big-three sports. Nomo's martian windup and delivery proved so effective that he set Dodgers strikeout records, made the All-Stars and inspired Nomomania.
     By 2001 when Ichiro Suzuki joined the Mariners, Asian imports taking Rookie of the Year honors had practically become a Major League tradition. But none had done it with Ichiro's flair or sunglasses. It wasn't enough that he led the game in hitting and basestealing, he seemed determined to make it look easy. Sex appeal had finally come to the image of the Asian male athlete.
     But the image still lacked something in many AA minds. Sure, for a leadoff hitter Ichiro hit his share of home runs, but he was known for speed and finesse, not power. Having chafed so long under stereotypes denying them size and strength, AA men longed for a star who could knock those assumptions back into the last millennium.
     Eyes turned longingly to football as the obvious arena for the ultimate stereotype smasher -- and saw only Dat Nguyen of the Dallas Cowboys. As a promising linebacker, Nguyen doesn't enjoy the cache of a star offensive back. And at 5-11 and 240 pounds, Nguyen isn't exactly in the 99th percentile in terms of size and power among football players.
     Asian American eyes were drawn to basketball by a trio of giants known collectively as "The Great Wall". They were very big for the Chinese national team. First to make his NBA debut was Wang Zhizhi (7-1, 220 pounds) in April 2001. As a center for the Dallas Mavericks he has averaged 5.5 points per 10.6 minutes of playing time per game. A respectable stat for any rookie but disappointing for those who had hoped for an instant Asian star. Then came Mengke Bateer (6-11, 290 pounds) in February of 2002. Despite 15.1 minutes of play per game as a center for the Denver Nuggets, he too disappointed some with an average 5.1 points and 3.6 rebounds.
     Enter the Dragon. At a height variously described as 7-5 or 7-6, Yao Ming, 22, is at once the tallest and youngest of the trio. In the past two years his weight shot up from 255 to 295 pound -- and he's still growing. His gifts extend beyond size, however. He moves a foot shorter. Born to a pair of former stars for the Chinese national teams, his court instincts and skills are practically dyed-in-the-wool.
     And yet Yao isn't a lock to defy the darker prognostications of his prospects as a Rocket. He was regularly outplayed by Wang Zhizhi when both were playing in China. Even with Yao, Wang and Mengke, the Chinese national team routinely lost to second-tier powers like France and Lithuania. Yao has never gone up against the likes of Shaquille O'Neal. The adjustment to life in the U.S. will be long and difficult. In short, Yao Ming is ideally positioned to become the biggest disappointment in the history of Asians in American sports.
     Is Yao Ming the next Asian superstar? Or is he more likely to reinforce the image of Asian men as also-rans in power sports?

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WHAT YOU SAY

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If you look at the 2004 NBA mock draft, you'd see Xue Yuyang's name on it, a 7 foot 1 CBA center. He's rated to be a late pick right now, but it did mention that he has the quickness and strength to bang with NBA players. Not bad considering that 2004 will be his first year of legibility at 21. I just hope that his ratings come up before 2004.
And don't forget a point guard.

As for Yao Ming, come on man. Face it. That man has talent! I mean you can't just be number 1 if you're not good. Trust me that the NBA knows what it's talking about when it comes to the number 1 pick. Most of them have either led their teams to an NBA championship or won it.

Let's change the subject to Kevin Garnett for a second, a forward for the Timberwolves. First of all, I did not like the way he acted on television, claiming that he does everything for his team. I mean it's not the way a professional should act. Don't you agree? No wonder he always fails in the first round of the playoffs. He does not have any faith in his teammates whatsoever. Without Wally Szerbiack and Terrell Brandon, he would not have even gotten to the first round. Scoring 18 points per game does not cut it. It's not only bad, but insulting to his teammates who might not even like him for saying such things.

Let's look at the Lakers for a while. The reason why they were three-time champs was because they have chemistry. They understand each other, trust each other, and most importantly stand by those who are struggling in a certain time, trusting them even on those times. It was as if they could read each others minds. Shaq, Kobe, Fisher, Horry, and Fox make the perfect starting five. And not to mention the bench players, who can be starters in other teams with their overall skills. As for Shaq, he is always willing to pass the ball to his teammates to give them a chance to score and his teammates turn to him as the leader in
the court because of that reason. The Lakers is an A+ in my book for their chemistry, trust, and love for each other. That's what makes a good team.
Ray
   Friday, July 26, 2002 at 07:23:00 (PDT)
Let's sop talking about how great the NBA is for a while. For example Mengke Bateer, a Chinese center for the Denver Nuggets said that adjusting to NBA speed is not as hard as he thought. If he had more playing time in his 27 games, he would have averaged at least 14 to 20 points.
Ray
   Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 17:32:41 (PDT)
TO FOP:
I don't think so! I passed by Kenny Smith at the Galleria in Houston as I was heading towards the stairs. I had to look up to see Kenny Smith which means he is at least 6'3. He is definitely not 5'11 b/c I am! He is also quite rude b/c he didn't say hi back to me. I've also seen Steve Francis at BestBuy and Kevin Willis at my gym. They are all super tall, especially Willis.
Viet guy in Houston
   Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 17:07:03 (PDT)
Yao ming IS overrated. He's good, but not thaaaaaaaaat good, as if he's going to change all rules and revolutionized the game. The hype that surrounds him is enormous. He's probably better than Candy man, but he's no Shaq. No need to deny what his limitations are.
Joe L
   Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 15:19:17 (PDT)
FOP,

There is no way Vernon Maxwell is that short. I'm a Spurs fan and seen him play many times and he is not that short.

The NBA fudges about height, but not to that degree. Hakeem is actually 6'10" but listed as 7'. Also, he weighs about 250, not 225. Plus, Shaq has gotten much bigger and his game has improved immensely since back then.

The player's true heights come out at the pre-draft combines. Some players are taller than advertised like Dikembe Mutombo who was listed as 6'11" at Georgetown when he was actually 7'2". THis is done for psychological purposes.
hoopster
   Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 14:33:32 (PDT)
Jared,

Kenny Smith is not 6'1". He is 5'9" at best. Maybe he is over 6'0" on platforms.
FOP
   Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 14:16:33 (PDT)
To All:

I think people mis-read what I wrote about Ming's wingspan. I wrote that he has a wingspan of a 7'1" PLAYER, which is 7'4"--same as Maybener Hilario's.

To Dan Wang:

I don't want to write another long post, but I'll make a few comments here.

Ming was double and triple teamed throughout the tournament. No matter how good the player is, when being doubled or tripled, he will have trouble scoring. Maybe Shaq is an exception, but everyone else in the NBA will have trouble scoring and maybe even rebounding. It doesn't make much of a difference whether the best defenders are double/triple teaming or whether some professional scrubs are double/triple teaming Ming.

Shawn Bradley's stats in International competitions: 41.7% FG, 4.6 points, 3.57 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, 14.28 mins/game.

Ming's stats in recent tournament: 74%FG, 20 points, 13 rebounds, ~4 blocks, 27 mins/game.

The numbers for Ming might be off by 10% or so, but they're pretty close to accurate. Now will people quit saying Ming is a Chinese Shawn Bradley?

For those who thinks Ming will bust base on Wang's performance, here are some stats for Ming and Wang provided by windandsea from ClutchCity.net.

2001 Asian Championship Team Stats
Ming:
162 minutes, 72.4%FG%, FT 67.6%, rebound 81, assist 5, block 22, 13.38ppg;

Wang:
137 minutes, 63.5%FG, 3PFG 43.8%, FT 64.3%, rebound 43, assist 0, block 2, 13.75ppg.

4 games they played against each other in ChBA:
Ming: 74 rebs, 21 blocks.
Wang: 44 reboubds, 8 blocks.

Total of the above rebs and blocks:
Ming: 155 rebounds, 43 blocks
Wang: 87 rebounds, 10 blocks.

Apparently Ming has a significanly higher FG percentage, and does much much better in rebounding and blocks. That's nearly twice as many rebounds and more 4 times as many blocks.

What Houston needs is REBOUNDING and BLOCKING!! Because of this and that he can attain a high shooting percentage, Ming will be an impact player for Houston. Of course his minutes will be limited by foul trouble. But I think he'll learn to adjust to the game well enough to get good playing time.
MikeM
   Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 13:39:50 (PDT)
China Hoops:

I've played everywhere throughout Califoninia. Where are you from?

Chinatown:

No, you are stupid. Yao Ming only has a 7'1" wingspan. It was measured and stated in Chicago pre draft workout. And he only has 18 size feet, relatively small for a 7footer. You should study your draft info before you try to pick an argument.

DoubleD:

It's transparent that you are worshipping Yao Ming as a basketball player on the basis that he is simply Chinese. You are simply using cultural blood to support your myopic views. That's such a bullsh!t mentality. If I think a player is good, I'll say he's good. If not, I'm not going to lie about it just because he's Asian. That's extremely small minded and it's just as f--ked up and ignorant as racism. Look outside the hype and the colors.

FOP,

Ming stands no chance against Shaq. Not this year. not anytime soon.
Dan Wang
   Thursday, July 25, 2002 at 13:29:10 (PDT)

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