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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 booed. They 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 at 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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Warriors' summer fling
DALLAS' WANG STARS IN SUMMER LEAGUE
By Mark Emmons
Mercury News
LONG BEACH - The usual postgame exchange of handshakes, backslaps and hugs had commenced when Jaren Jackson of the Dallas Mavericks approached Wang Zhizhi.
``I don't like it when you dunk on us like that,'' Jackson said in a playfully scolding voice.
Wang responded with a mischievous grin. It was, in fact, no way for a guy to treat his teammates. Wang's 14 points had helped the Warriors to a 137-112 victory last weekend in a Southern California Summer Pro League game over, yes, his own club -- the Mavericks.
In a decision rooted as much in international politics as it is basketball, Wang is playing for the Warriors this summer. And playing well. In the first five games, the 7-foot-1 forward/center from China demonstrated skills lacking in Golden State's current collection of post players -- namely deft passing and an accurate shooting touch.
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jj
Saturday, August 17, 2002 at 06:14:08 (PDT)
yaos most recent game against canada recently is that he scored 17 points on 6 from 6 shooting and made all his free throws...although critics said he should have shot more. however he was guarded by a 6foot 6 centre most of the time and was outmuscled for most of the game. china still lost the game by a huge margin.
jj
Saturday, August 17, 2002 at 02:33:29 (PDT)
I was correct, and most of you guys are wrong. Well, Yao Ming played against Canada yesterday. He made all his shots, but he never took that many attempts. He had trouble getting any position, just like how I said, and he mostly got pushed around by.... a 6'6" guy??!??? I'm a buff 5-10, and I push lanky soft tall guys all the time. Even if they can shoot, I'd still be up all at their face and give them no chances. Well, I guess Ming got a little bit of that taste too. He only had a disappointing 5 rebounds and China got blown out of the water. Damn, Wang and Batere, do something for the Asians!!!!!? That was an embarrassing lost! As an Asian, that game was definitely not proud for me to look at. I expected Ming to get pushed by 7' NBA dudes, but not a 6'6" canadian player that's not even in the NBA??! Those 300lbs on Ming's body are obviously not enough. On tv, his strength looks weaker than Bradley!? wtf?! Hope he picks up and plays like a real man because if not, he will have a ton of trouble this season playing against much stronger players in the NBA. I just don't think I would want to see him against Shaq anytime soon. It would be way too ugly because Ming would just be another cardboard. Damn. I thought the gap between China and the rest of the world was thinning, and then this crap happens. China plays the US squad next week. After this kind of performance, I'm not really looking forward to that anymore.
Fu Man
Friday, August 16, 2002 at 23:48:56 (PDT)
Another hype going on? This is amazing that there are so many gullible fools here. Let's get it straight. The Phillipine league is not even on the map for Asian basketball. They are on the same level as Hong Kong or Taiwan pro basketball. I've actually played against a few members that played pro ball in Taiwan, and I was not impressed. They just fundamentally stink. I would guess any average junior college level basketball team in America can kill them.
Dan Wang
Friday, August 16, 2002 at 16:21:01 (PDT)
Phil the thrill,
How about we meet you outside of your sanitarium...becuz YOU INSANE.
LAKA
Friday, August 16, 2002 at 15:40:14 (PDT)
Kerry,
If you do follow Philippine basketball, name one player over there. You're probably some big pretender who's so ignorant that your writing looks like it came from someone with no education. You make these remarks and can't even name one ball player. In fact you never mentioned one. You can't, can you? There you go again. You insult people and still can't back it up. And don't you go around the net looking for Filipino player names either. I can spot a lier miles away.
Oh, so you saw one game, ha? Just one. Give me a break refering to your writing "the competition level I saw over there." That's past tense, man, meaning that it happened once. Not in a daily basis. It's either that or check your grammer; it's obvious that you're frustrated. You've already been spotted.
Team potential differs from individual potential. In the NBA like Andre Miller, a former Cavelier who's now a Clipper is considered to be one of the top point guards in the NBA, but still played in a horrible team, therefore, he always lost. The same thing applies everywhere as well in Europe, in Canada, and in Asia. These are what you call rare talent. And don't use that he's black excuse either. That's getting old.
Just because it's a risk, it doesn't mean it won't happen. Nobody would have thought that a Foreign White European player would be number 1 in the upcoming 2004 draft either. That's pretty much a sure thing just like Jeron James is going to be number 1 in 2003, who did not seem to have displayed his talent in camps either, but still he's going to be number one.
Scouts have turned their heads to Qingpeng Zhang already who stands 6'1. And he's only 17 yrs. old.
Insult this, insult that. Whatever. And stop wasting my time with your stupid insults that just makes you look like an idiot. No facts, but just some wannabee who makes these insulting remarks about Asians in particular. From the looks of it, it seems that you haven't even seen just one game. You're just like those people who booed Yao when he was selected number 1 just because he's Asian. Is he and other foreign players that much of a threat to you? It may sound crazy, but I totally understand you're attitude.
I don't play basketball. I play Baseball, but I admire it. You probably got dissed in your college or high school team, didn't you? Or just simply that the coach never gives you the minutes you want because you're not that good. Perhaps that's why you feel so insulted that Foreign players again will rule in 2004. It's okay. Time will heal the pain.
Ray
Friday, August 16, 2002 at 07:03:23 (PDT)
I think Wang Zhizhi has some envy for his other compatriot teammates (Mengke Bateer and Yao Ming). Especially with Yao Ming, it is an issue of pride for Wang. Seeing that Yao is getting so much spotlight, he is kinda jealous because he knows he can and has played better than Yao at times in China.
I hope he works his butt off with Golden State or whatever team he is with now and not be afraid to play more confrontational ball against the big guys. Learn from Bill Laimbeer.
waiting
Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 22:14:53 (PDT)
In March of this year, Wang Zhizhi scored 18 points in only 25 minutes.
Man, give him the time and minutes and I am sure he can come up with similar figures against any team.
One time, his teammate (Michael Finley) jokingly wondered whether he can dunk or not? So, during practice he asked Wang to come over the basket for a practice session. He lobbed the ball in the air and Wang just looped slammed the ball without smiling. Finley was silenced too.
You see, it is the language barrier and different mentality of playing that is slowing Wang down. Give him some time (and minutes) and you can see his full potential.
This guy is as good if not better than Yao at times.
Wang fan
Thursday, August 15, 2002 at 21:51:45 (PDT)
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