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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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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
I believe the sonics did a pretty good job of containing yao's scoring, all thanks to Gary Payton. Everytime Francis fed it to Yao on the high post, gary payton would go over to force the double team, resulting in Yao passing the ball. Of course, thanks to this, he also accumulated 5 assists, a career high and a rocket's victory. And for anyone who was watching, Yao succeeded in a sweet behind the back pass after a series of spin moves on the base-line (and only after he was pressured by a triple team). Unfortunately, the recepient of the pass was Juaqin Hawkins, who missed the shot quite badly.
Seattle's gay zone was only effective in containing Yao but not the rest of the rockets.
Yao also blocked 3 shots.
chinatown
Sunday, December 01, 2002 at 15:57:55 (PST)
[67.98.161.15]
People like CounterPuncher and Nicholi cannot see the future
They cannot see the situation in its entirety, do not have a feel for potential, and are not risktakers.
*What?? Explain for me the "situation."
Furthermore there is some "secret" issue, some chip on their shoulder, that makes them come here to a message board expressly to oppose Yao.
* Secret issue? So for everyone who saids Yao sucks now have secret issues?
Pathetic communist Chinese nationalist.
Probably they are racist/nationalist/got bullied in school and have not grown past the scars yet.
Bataar
* Oh yeah, that must be it. You sound so intelligent loser. Yao has potential, maybe he'll live up to it someday but for now he hasn't.
Counter Puncher
Sunday, December 01, 2002 at 15:17:17 (PST)
[152.163.189.134]
People like CounterPuncher and Nicholi cannot see the future
They cannot see the situation in its entirety, do not have a feel for potential, and are not risktakers.
Furthermore there is some "secret" issue, some chip on their shoulder, that makes them come here to a message board expressly to oppose Yao.
Probably they are racist/nationalist/got bullied in school and have not grown past the scars yet.
Bataar
Sunday, December 01, 2002 at 02:42:54 (PST)
[63.162.229.2]
You guys gotta believe the role that Chinese and Asians have in the market value of NBA.
Just visit the official website of the NBA (www.nba.com) and see that the second most requested popular photo is the one of Yao Ming and Wang Zhizhi standing together before the game a couple weeks ago.
Almost all my relatives and buddies bought that same photo online. I know there are millions of other Chinese who did so too.
One, is that basketball is the most popular sport for Chinese as a whole now. And, also the economic role they have in the NBA market is huge.
Another thing that won't surprise is if Yao Ming gets voted into the All-Star game.
But, it's all good. Chinese and Asian people should have something to feel proud for.
Asian basketball
Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 20:18:31 (PST)
[64.130.235.33]
I watched Rockets play the Sonics on Friday and I have to say Yao has looooooong way to go before he reaches allstar status. Yao needs to get more physical, he gets pushed around too easily.
Yao needs more time
Saturday, November 30, 2002 at 17:32:10 (PST)
[152.163.189.134]
Yao Ming ins't bad, sometime he live the expectation of number 1 pick and some days he doesn't. But we'll see how he progress into a player.
Chicago bull, Jay williams number two pick didn't do so well either. Against the celtics.
Playing 33 mins, he has;
4pts
2 of 9 field goal
0 of 5 three point shot
3 rebound, 3 assist
I guess he's only a rooky like Yao Ming and will learn from the game and improve. Him and Yao Ming need to show more progress. Let's see what happen with their next game.
NumbleMan
Friday, November 29, 2002 at 10:41:56 (PST)
[162.83.146.45]
NS PHD EMP,
God your interpretation of basketball is as innane as your interpration of Chinese current events.
First off Rockets won that game. Not to mention Yao becomes conservative when he starts running into foul trouble, as do all smart players.
With 6-8 at the field that make him 75% shooter.
#1 Yao will have more game than you ever will
#2 Yao is not supposed to be a threat to the NBA. He is supposed to be an asset. He's only a threat to immature idiots like you, who somehow equate his personal success with their own failings.
PS - Why are you so intent on watching Yao games if you're not a fan of his? What are you, a stalker in training?
AC Dropout
Friday, November 29, 2002 at 09:11:56 (PST)
[24.90.98.143]
YAO MING SEXY???
Yao's appeal transcends basketball
Gwen Knapp Thursday, November 28, 2002
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YAO MING proved himself early on Wednesday night, and not with his nine points in the first quarter. He held a news conference before the game, and he was adorable. There really is no other word for it. The kid is absolutely adorable.
Ten years ago, that wouldn't have been enough. That nagging question But can he play? would have loomed over his career. Today, we can skip the legitimacy test. It barely matters.
If Yao isn't the next Wilt, he can be the new Anna Kournikova. If female fans can expand the NBA market, Yao is the answer. He has sex appeal, which might be more useful to the league than an inspiring turnaround jumper.
Of course, the NBA's power mongers won't admit this. Officially, they wanted Yao here because he is 7-foot-5, and he can play, and the league wants the best employees it can get. A little less officially, they wanted him because he can help the NBA go global.
The Warriors were ecstatic to have him come to Oakland with the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. He gave them a marketing tool, a hook for the huge Chinese American population in the Bay Area. They hyped his arrival by sending their mascot to San Francisco's Chinatown and by printing up fliers in both English and Mandarin.
They should have targeted women of all ethnicities just as aggressively. They could have done a swing through the Castro, too, but I'd guess that Yao's leading demographic would be straight females, teenagers, twentysomethings, middle-aged women, old women.
...
E-mail Gwen Knapp at gknapp@sfchronicle.com.
jj
Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 14:04:27 (PST)
[203.206.97.16]
I watched the Rockets vs. Golden State today on Thanksgiving. I saw Yao Ming play today and AGAIN, I am not impressed at all. He lets rebounds go right by his head, he sticks defense like he is worried the opponent has got a knife and he is always getting benched. I wondered what happened to him at one point of te game and realized, he was riding the bench longer than the trip from Shanghai to the US. You can tell me all the sly comments you want but I know two things, #1 Yao Ming is not the first Asian in Baketball with a good hieght advantage and #2, Yao Ming is about as Alien a threat to NBA basketball as a spoon is a threat to coffee.
NO CONTEST
NS PHD EMP
nicholiservia@hotmail.com
Thursday, November 28, 2002 at 06:25:18 (PST)
[211.156.18.250]
Hey guys,
Good news, Yao Ming still have a chance to be a super star. The reason why is b/c everyone struggles. Even shaq, in his last outing he only making 15 pts in 32 mins against the Heat. And heat is one of the worst team in NBA. Yao will be alright in the NBA.
Lakers lost its last game against Miami Heat with it's superstar Shaq playing and still lost. Bummer.
Laker center was contain by thin 7-foot center Vladimir Stepania and 6-9 power forward Brian Grant. The 7-2 O'Neal was held to 15 points on 5-of-15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in 32 minutes.
So lets all not expect too much from Ming as he is only a rook and not doing so bad either. He will come around. Shaq was hold by a skinny center and only made 15 pt in 32 mins. He was so disappointed that he didn't even talk to reporter after the game. I guessed he was embrassed. shaqs weight probably work against him.
sukioutin
Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 22:54:57 (PST)
[162.83.146.45]
Nicholi,
[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.]
Hey man, I guess this was you booing at home when Yao was number one pick, right. And now your miserable because of that. So Yao must a be threat to you that is why you always put the man down to make you feel good. What an idiot you are. Just wake-up into reality b/c he already is chosen to be number one and there is nothing you can do about it beside live with it.
it'sblowinguaway
Wednesday, November 27, 2002 at 08:45:59 (PST)
[162.83.146.45]
By Park Song-wu
Staff Reporter
More often than not in basketball, a big man will come out on top.
It's easier for them to dunk the ball and to control an opponent on defense. If a big man positions himself properly he can dominate the paint.
How about a player who measures 2.18 meters?
High schooler Ha Seung-jin is 11 centimeters taller than the Samsung Thunders star center Seo Jang-hoon, the tallest player in the Korean Basketball League (KBL).
The only thing seems taller than Ha is the ceiling. The 17-year-old center is the genuine driving force behind his team's 22 consecutive victories this year, winning four championship titles, including the high school basketball tourney at the National Sports Festival in Cheju early this month.
...
Asian basketball
Monday, November 25, 2002 at 22:10:25 (PST)
[64.130.235.33]
GOD,
Who are you, some cute chick on this board. Haven't see that in awhile and in this board is mostly guys. Glad for your compliment on Yao Ming, happy to see a girl support of him. so what do you think about his games so far, any opinion you would like to share with us?
Optimum
Monday, November 25, 2002 at 20:20:17 (PST)
[162.83.146.45]
Dallas's Shawn Bradly is not so bad lately. He is also doing good in most of his game he's playing.
Here is a list and statistic of a few games he's play this season:
AGAINST:
phoenix 11/02/02 5 free throw made
Phoenix 11/02/02 3 steals
Chicago 11/08/02 8 Blocks
Detroit 11/09/02 FG att 11 made 6 that gives him 12 pts
Portland 11/11/02 18 rebounds
Lakers 11/19/02 Make 16 pts
Houston 11/21/02 3 assists
So this means that Ming isn't bad either consider the fact that he is only a rook and will improve. This guy, Ming no doubt has potential one reason all the scout wants him.
2kool
Monday, November 25, 2002 at 18:32:30 (PST)
[162.83.146.45]
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