|
|
|
|
|
GOLDSEA |
ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
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.
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?
This interactive article is closed to new input.
Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
CONTACT US
|
ADVERTISING INFO
© 1996-2013 Asian Media Group Inc
No part of the contents of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission.
|
|
|
|
WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
Oh, by the way. Did you know that there are 200 million registered basketball players in China alone? And they are all of NBA height of 6 foot- 7 footers to as much as even 7'7, and pretty soon even 7 foot 8 with a certain 7 foot 12-yr-old in the picture. Not to mention others like in the Philippines, Korea, and Japan.
You might say," how come?" Well, the answer is simple. In China, children are auditioned for their athletism at an early age. For example: Yao Ming, who has a 6'10 dad and a 6'4 mother. Too many government authorities, basketball would be the right choice. And the other factor is that the government pays for everything for these selected children, resulting into better nourished individuals.
If you put all of the Chinese basketball players in a country sized like the U.S., you'd see 7 footers everywhere you turn and create a country of giants.
In Europe and America, some are 6'10 at the most, and of course a small percentage of 7 footers, but not 7 foot 8 or 7 foot 10 like a certain North Korean basketball star.
So get it through your heads, people. To be a basketball player, you must be tall. It doesn't matter where you play; it is the same everywhere even in Middle Eastern countries like Qatar and Arabia.
Americans get caught up with the NBA so much that the mentality is that Americans and Europeans are all tall. Face it. It's not reality. You must be tall to be a basketball player. It's as simple as that just like to be a successful gymnast, you must be of a certain height. You can't be 6 foot and expect to be a gymnastic olympic gold medalist that easy. I'm sorry, dude.
In Asia, there are many people, and of course, are going to have many tall people as well. I guess that image of Asians viewed as Southern Chinese is just hard to pluck off in some peoples' mind. Maybe the NBA is the beginning of a Northern Chinese image, ending the Southern Chinese image once and for all. Who knows?
To all Asian-Americans with NBA height and talent, you have got to come out. Don't be afraid to audition playing college ball just because you're Asian. Break the barrier just like African-Americans did in the forties and fifties. I have known plenty with the height and talent, but were too afraid to do so because they think they would never be chosen to play in the team just because they're Asian-Americans.
Anyway, peace to everyone.
Ray
Monday, July 29, 2002 at 08:15:47 (PDT)
Spread the news Phil,
I agree with you whole heartedly. Even if Yao sucks, or doesn't become as good as we hope. You have to defend him. There's what, 2 Asians in the NBA. Of course they won't look as good when they play against 160+ black guys who've probably played more competitively, for a longer time.
Look at baseball, once more Asians show up (who are just as competitive), we can be just as good and better.
huu76
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 22:20:35 (PDT)
To C-Web,
Yes, I know alot of those guys Olowankandi, Joe Smith, Pervis, Derrick Coleman, and the others mentioned. They were all good picks as well, but that's not the point. These guys are not really in the position of being stars. You forgot another no. pick with the last name Williams from the New Jersey Nets. He did not really display those talents in the NBA until the playoffs. Until then I could not understand why this Williams guy got the no. 1 pick in the 1998 NBA draft. I got to see those reasons why for the first time in the finals. Eventhough they got swept, he and Kidd were the reasons why they didn't get beaten by thirty points. I could see the intensity and dedication for the first time. There have been some few mistakes; no one's perfect. I can tell you that for sure.
Remember that Hakeem Olajuwan was a late bloomer. As I could remember, the Rockets were so disappointed with Olajuwan that he was a talk for a possible trade. A wise decision that they did not trade him, waiting nearly ten years for him to develop mentally and physically to actually led the Rockets to the back-to-back NBA championships. Imagine if the Orlando did not trade Shaq to the Lakers. They weren't that happy with his performance either. And imagine him playing with Tracy Mcgrady, an exceptionally great player compared to the likes of Kobe and even Michael Jorden. Some say even better than Kobe. If they had not traded Shaq, they would have won three straight titles themselves. Anyone with a Shaq in their team right now will win the championship. He's that good right now. As for the strength factor, of course YAO has got to develop, but that will develop in time with NBA training and conditioning.
I'm afraid that you have forgotten about a man named Mengke Bateer of the Denver Nuggets, a strong center from Beijing. He came to the league with the physical talent that anyone who guards him is afraid. He stumbles into another 300 pounder and send him flying back to the other end with the slightest touch. Commentators even joke around of how these players fly. There's not denying how strong he is. And you may have heard of Jayhidi White, a center for the Washington Wizards, a man compared to be the only man to at least stand with Shaq at the post without getting toast. He played against Jayhidi and did not have any difficult guarding him. As for what I could see, he looked intimated by Bateer's wide body. Bateer hasn't played against Shaq, but hey anyone who can play against Jayhidi White without having much difficulty could definitely stand against Shaq.
That's maybe why he wasn't included in the package in the New York-Denver trade which included Antonio Mcdyess and Mark Jackson for that reason. He is strong and plays strong, if I may add. The thing is he doesn't really dunk as much as Shaq.
As for Wang Zhizhi, talks have been scattered around for a possibility to play with the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were so amazed with his shooting touch and passing skills in the Summer league that Jason Richardson, a starter wanted to know what the deal is with him because of his likings with playing with Wang. If the Mavericks decide to let him go with the league average 4.5 million for a second round player, he will likely play for them next year. But Mark Cuban, the free spending owner of the Mavs is a man who always gets what he wants, therefore, it is unlikely to happen. But never say never because the Warriors is truly a team that could use his passing and shooting skills for they have lack of it, which explains their small percentage of wins in the 2001-02 season.
Back to Yao, he is in a perfect environment to be a star with the Rockets needing a big man so badly. I could just imagine Steve Francis and Ming play together. What a Shaq and Kobe like combo, but in a slightly different way.
Start observing for the Eastern Conference to make a move for an Asian center. Needless to say, they don't have many big big centers there who play big with the exception of Jayhidi White.
Benson,
Garnett really doesn't have much to do with Ming, but it just made me so mad that a professional would act like that regarding his teammates. As for the Lakers, they are just exceptional.
Ray
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 15:22:21 (PDT)
Actually, I have doubts about Ming, too. I mean, look at Wang Zhi Zhi, who's supposed to be better than Yao Ming! Wang is the best from China, yet he can't even get any playing time in Dallas. Weird? It's not like he's a rookie anymore.
Plus, Don Nelson is a pretty intelligent coach who's usually willing to take risks. If even Don Nelson won't give Wang playing time, who will? Maybe Wang's game is just not that good. I have been watching a lot of Mavericks' games last season, and I haven't really seen much other than his 3 point shooting. Oh well, hope Ming's hype is lived up, or else nobody will give Chinese players a chance again.
David Lee
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 13:03:22 (PDT)
To Double D AM,
Your reading comprehension skills are seriously lacking if you think I said Mike Tyson had a 7 foot wingspan. Perhaps your cognitive abilities are not kicking in because you're so emotionally ticked off that someone does not agree with your opinion. What do you know? Judging by the remarks of your post, it's highly evident that you never even played any organized ball. You're simply another mindless sucker who fell into the hype given by Bill Walton.
The article about Vince Carter was totally irrelevant. Vince Carter was in China, and he was only a guest. What did you expect him to say? Talk sh-t to the media about their star? Use some logic thinking if you have any because your reasoning is absolute trash. Ask Shaq or Charles Barkely, true people who speak their minds, what they really think of your nobel Yao. Or ask former Georgetown coach John Thompson, who had coached Ewing, Mutombo, and Alonzo. Fact of the matter is that Yao is overrated, and you're bought into the hype machine. You probably thought Olowonkandi or Shawn Bradley was going to bust the league too, huh? Nice try, but not really. Learn some basketball before you speak or else it just makes you ignorant.
To Think harder b4 any judgement,
Top picks don't mean anything. Sam Bowie over Jordan? You would proabbly do that. You should do what your name preaches. Really!
next.
To phil the thrill,
Wang Zhi Zhi can't guard a trash can. I don't know why you're praising him. He's chinese. cool. But can he play with the elite? No. His game needs a lot of work.
To Stop the Hater,
It's not hate. It's REALITY. All you people are simply overlooking Yao's limitaitons and just JUMPING ON THE BANDWAGON. I'm sorry I don't buy into that s***. If he's got skills, I will praise him. Why like or hate a person just because he's a specific color???? That is so f--ked up. You're telling me you would employ a person to work for you just because he's Asian, regardless of what merits he has? No, the world should not work like that. Othewise, you're supporting reverse racism. Look at the bigger picture.
To B Lee,
you said:
"First, the Oregon guy was Chris Christoffersen, who is a big guy himself at 7'2" and 300 pounds. Second, this was an exhibition game that didn't go into their personal stats, so there wasn't any motive for Yao or Chris to play 100 percent."
Chris sucks. He didn't even get drafted. Yao couldn't even dominate him. End of hype.
Yao could probably beat Shaq in HORSE from 18 feet, but that's not how the real game is played.
you said:
"If you say Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning, Ray Allen, ... are a joke, then I don't know what to say."
As individual players, they are the elite. But as a team for that summer, they were definitely a joke. It was just a bunch of lazy ballplaying and a lot of showboating. I'm surprised that they didn't lose a game. They barely won a few games. Their effort was mediocre, at best. It wasn't the A game that the early "dream teams" showcased.
you said:
"When the big 3 (Yao, Wang, Menk) played against them, China was beating U.S.A. by up to 6 points, until after about 18 minutes into the game, when all three fouled out."
Exactly. Chinese coaches need to be better on preparing their players on defense. As of right now, not talking about the future, I know Ming's defense is liable. He's tall, but he's not fast nor quick enough. And even though some may think he's heavy already, he still needs to hit the weight room.
Thanks B Lee, you actually made a logical argument instead of just tossing up emotional nonsense garbage.
Dan Wang
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 12:31:18 (PDT)
This is great...I love how all of Chinese striked back at Dan Wang that wanna be chinese... Dan is a disgrace to teh chinese race and we need less people like him...I hope Yao Ming sees Dan Wang and stomps his head in, that will show Dan Wang how weak he really is...hahahahha...Dan Wang...what kinda name is that...probaly his name is like xingyuwanyuzhao Wang...trying to conceal his identity...by the way did you realize your last name is the same as Wang Zhi Zhi's...hahahah he probaly your POPS...Keep Rooting for Yao Ming my fellow Chinese people and keep blasting bootleg chinese people like Dan Wang.
phil the thrill
Sunday, July 28, 2002 at 10:46:38 (PDT)
NEWEST COMMENTS |
EARLIER COMMENTS
|