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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?
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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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Yao Ming will be the best in the NBA...no question about it, no question...and hoops ur lucky goldsea.com ddint let me post my other messages...u wanan take this outside??? Fist to Fist? If yeah just name the place and time...ill be there
phil the thrill
gex83@yahoo.com
Wednesday, August 07, 2002 at 06:57:11 (PDT)
I would like to voice my humble opinion regarding Yao Ming and his plight in the NBA.
It's clearly obvious that Yao ming is extremely tall and this height may or may not give him a gradual advantage in the NBA. However height is simply not enough and even though noticably is 7.5 frame is the most dominate characteristic about him he definitely will need to step up some and take his game to a new level.
I am sure many people feel he is a well rounded player after all he was a 1#
draft pick but personally I feel by today's NBA standards his game would be considered weak. I believe because of his limited exposure to the NBA and its players and that he just hasn't had enough years of experience against formidable opponents in the league.
Playing against stronger opponents will definitely improve his offensive skills because to me there not that strong.
I sincerely overall believe Yao Ming will be a very visible presence in the NBA however what remains to be seen is will it be for his ball skills or simply there's Yao Ming the 7.5 ball player.
Torontonian.
Tuesday, August 06, 2002 at 21:51:04 (PDT)
Kerry,
I agree with you that there are not many asians playing Division 1 basketball because it's true. Part of the reason is because of fear to change the game. There are many people out there who judge people by its cover. Another reason is because not alot of Asian-Americans even like to play basketball; most of them want to be doctors, lawyers, scientists, and etc. You know, those professional jobs. Those with the talent are just too afraid to be the black sheep of the family, if you know what I mean. How would you react if you see 30 black players in one college team standing abreast and see one Asian player? You'd probably say, "Who is that *****?" in your mind.
There won't be Asian-American players in the NBA for the next decades, partly because they will be overshadowed by Asian players overseas who are serious about Basketball.
There are many more talented Asian giants who are willing to play in the NBA. In a year or two, there will be 1 to 3 more. This is an advantage for them because the NBA has lack of Centers, especially the Eastern conference. Let's face it that no one these days want to play the Center position, partly because it is stressing and injuryprone.
(A fact)-- The CBA has the most seven footers than any other league in the world. Of course, it's bond to make some jaws drop.
Everytime I see a 6'9 240 pound center play against Shaq just like this years NBA finals, it makes me think that's not fair: it's like taking a candy from a baby. These Asian centers have the height, the weight, and potential to get better and stronger as they mature, which is why they have intrigued and impressed many NBA scouts.
This year they drafed a 6'11 230 pound center. Come on! You expect him to play against Shaq. Not enough presence and height to scare him nonetheless. It's almost funny compared to 7'0- 7'8 300 something pound centers in the CBA. To add another intrigue, some of these young men aren't even twenty years old, which is why they are not yet available for the draft for a couple of more years.
There will be a power forward from the CBA coming to the NBA because power forwards over there are not pushovers either. They are 6'9 to 7' foot tall with the respected weight.
You might question why there are so many tall players in the CBA. The answer is simple. There are 1.2 billion+ Chinese in China. Plus, the Northern part, especially the country sides of China are more isolated than the South. The Northern Chinese are the ones who tend to be taller. With that isolation, tall people tend to marry tall people which = equals giants. These players also get fed by the government which equals better nutrition and better health.
A point guard is also likely to come to the NBA with the fast and sometimes unpredictable movements of the players in the Philippines, Korea, and Japan.
So you see that Asian players playing in the NBA was inevitable. It just happens that the NBA needs more seven footers; 6'9 is not going to cut it nowdays for a passable NBA center.
Another thing that intrigues scouts is that these Centers can actually shoot the ball not relying on dunks all the time to make their game.
Asian players coming to the NBA will tend to be centers and forwards. Point guards will be near in the future.
Ray
Tuesday, August 06, 2002 at 19:42:47 (PDT)
Mr. Hoops,
And the hater is revealed.
AC Dropout
Tuesday, August 06, 2002 at 14:14:17 (PDT)
Hoopster, (and that is the kind of name you deserve for a retard like you)
You are neither Chinese nor Asian. So I could understand this Ming Bashing. Be careful what you ask for. If Ming does become a MVP someday, he will shove the trophy into your big mouth.
Hakeem is more well-arounded than Shaq. He is the only one who swept Shaq in a 4-0 victory. Shaq still can't shoot a free throw after playing for so many years.
You must have been a NBA wannabe at some point of time. Sorry, the scout dissed you cos you simply suck. That's why you are so bitter now.
FOP
Tuesday, August 06, 2002 at 14:01:37 (PDT)
All you trash talkers need to take a breather and think. You're trying to hard to imitate your nba, d1, and street ball legends. Here is the real scoop ... when you're the #1 pick and the first chinese to be in that position there is going to be hyped, there is no getting around it. Right or wrong that's how it's going to be, it comes with the territory. It's very much like a "great white hope" in boxing (heavyweight), if you're white and the #1 contender you're going to get all sort of expectation from the public; it's just the nature of the beast. So if Yao's fans want to be optimistic then let them be. You can choose to be optimistic or pessimistic, but the fact is no one can really gauges what type of a pro Yao will be until he get a season or two under his belt. But even if Yao doesn't show sign of stardom in 2 or 3 seasons there's always a chance that he's going to be a late bloomer, hahaha.
Tay Trai
Tuesday, August 06, 2002 at 13:12:29 (PDT)
Kerry,
That's like asking how many black men are Westinghouse finalist or Olympic figure skaters?
AC Dropout
Tuesday, August 06, 2002 at 12:21:38 (PDT)
Is that the best you can do?
Now I'm Dan Wang, I'm flattered actually Dan is much better writer than I. lol. And Hakeem was better than Shaq? LOL! Delusional pathetic Chinese no nothings!
Why don't you smucks just say Ming will be better than Wilt or Russell or maybe even Jordan?
Hey FOP, who the hell are you?
NO ONE! Call me Mr. Hoops when you address me next time scrub! Lets all get on the Chinese pathetic delusional bandwagon, yeah, Ming for MVP! pahahaha
Mr. Hoops
Monday, August 05, 2002 at 18:07:14 (PDT)
How many asians are there in Division 1 college basketball?
exactly. some of you can name NONE. And if you do, it's barely 2 or 3. Half asian blood doesn't count.
It's not a mystery why asians do not go to the pros because heck, they're not even playing the the next lower level. So why are people making a stupid fuss about not enough asians in the nba? that's so retarded. you don't even have asians playing in D 1 college level yet. Think about that.
Kerry
Monday, August 05, 2002 at 12:23:13 (PDT)
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