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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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Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
Who in the world is Michael Ri? Someone please inform me on this?
7'9? that is crazy...
what the???
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 22:52:17 (PDT)
To the one who pretends to be a Realist,
How are you so confident with the Houston Rockets and Rudy T? You've never made any NBA decisions. You've never played any NBA game. How do you know Ming will not be a bust? Do you have a crytal ball? Just because he had a chance to coach Olajuwon doesn't mean jack for the potential of Ming. You speak of Rudy as if he was your close friend. Have you talked to him personally recently? What's his number?
Of course you don't have it! You only have ASSUMPTIONS. You are not really in any position to tell anybody anything about basketball because you're just a little man that has not even played the game. Nobody needs to take you seriously, so don't pretend to be a realist because we all know you're anything but that.
The REAL realist
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 21:24:35 (PDT)
ball up,
you wrote:
"tell me what other Asian team has made it to this year's World Basketball Championships besides China?"
well, the best from asia got blown out of the building by the scrubs of north america. canada is nowhere close to the elite level in internaitonal basketball, and they surely destroyed china. do you always get this easily excited of yawners?
you wrote:
"You really think they got no potential? Last year, Wang Zhizhi scored 18 points in 22 minutes against Memphis."
Memphis has got to be one of the worst defensive teams in the league. Hardly anything to brag. What's Wang's season average? and what's his shooting percentage? is it even over 40%?? Nuff said.
jason lee
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 19:21:02 (PDT)
Regardless if he was 260lbs or 220lbs, it doesn't matter. Any person with a brain and any logic would know that a 7'5" guy should not get outmuscled by a 6'6" guy. The irony is not hard to see.
6-6 over 7-5? gotta be kidding me!!
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 17:13:49 (PDT)
Realist,
By your petty argument, you had never played in the NBA, so your opinions must be garbage. Look in the mirror before you open your mouth otherwise you just expose yourself as a moron.
You're not a realist one bit
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 15:08:39 (PDT)
it would suck if yao turned out to be asian sam bowie. that seems like where he's heading
the pressure
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 15:05:53 (PDT)
Brian Kim,
"don't like Asian imports, so I'm anti-asian?? and I don't like kim chee, so that makes me a self-hating korean too, huh???"
That makes you whitewashed, you shep sheikie. You must be one of those unfortunated adopted koreans.
Micheal Ri? What was his draft number in the NBA?
AC Dropout
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 13:38:37 (PDT)
Jing Cha,
Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Ronaldino are Portuguese speaking mulatoes. They are black in essence. Asians can't compete in western sports? Well, Korea reached the final 4 in the World Cup, having beat power houses such as Poland, Italy, Spain and Portugal. Your knowledge in sports is apparently limited to basketball. Of course, China is not par with US in basketball yet. But we all need to start somewhere. So what sport stars have AA produced other than Michael Chang? None. Tiger Wood is considered black and golf is a leisure not sport. Cos you guys are too comfortable with that middle-class suburban lifestyle and busy playing video games and imaging yourself as Shaq or Kobe in NBA Slam. Stay in your comfort zone, whiner.
FOP
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 13:14:36 (PDT)
Brian Kim
you don't like asain import don't mean yourself hating asain. But if you talk bad and look down on it than you are. And stop bashing on Chinatown. He's not racist at all. Irocianlly it seems to me like your accusing him of being racist b/c you don't agree with his point of view. So, Shut up you DUMB FOOL.
your post is mad dumb
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 12:29:59 (PDT)
chinatown,
Yes, well said buddy. It's pathetic that he is using that name and looking down on asain in doing so. Very pathetic and embrassement to have him as a friend as well.
jing cha,
Change you name to "Chuck Norish" or something. You embrase us.
pathetic, very
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 12:24:38 (PDT)
LAKA,
I got phil the thrill's back. Hey phil if any, I got you buddy.
Another View
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 11:52:52 (PDT)
so yao ming got pushed around...big deal...like i said ben wallace is only 240lbs himself...not many people are big and short(6'6) like anderson...man he used wrestling moves and leverage advantage so of course...iam a pretty tall guy(6 feet) and can bench 200 lbs and in the park i have trouble with small diesel players at times because of the leverage problem...its easier to play someone your size...haha meet me outside my sanitarium...man i will mess you up so bad...come to brooklyn and we will see how tough you really are hiding behind a message board...i dont see why people gotta diss on yao ming for...even yao's own people...even if he does turn out to be a bust i will still wear his jersey...man there are so many centers that suck in the nba such as ostertag or that rebraca guy...im sure yao ming will be good...hahaha no doubt about it...keep up the chinese pride
xanga site - philthethrill
phil the thrill
Wednesday, August 21, 2002 at 11:12:12 (PDT)
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