Yao Ming: The Next Asian Superstar? | Asian American Issues

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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?

     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.]

huu76,

"Is he soft because he doesn't trash talk or throw elbows?"

I don't know about talking trash. But Yao does elbow a few people guarding him. But he does in in a smart way. Instead of raising is elbows when he is being guarded. He set up his position in the low post ahead of time, with his arms extended - way out.

When a defender comes to him and the banging around occurs watch his arms. They don't retract to his body too often. And as they try to box each other out. His elbow every now and then makes contact with the defender's head. It's a joy to watch how smooth this guy is.

I'm going to get the Yao Playstation game when it comes out next year....

Happy Holidays.
AC Dropout
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 10:04:07 (PST) [24.136.115.189]

Michael Jackson,
Ya, I hear you man. IF you want to see him as an all-star, you have to treat him like one and play him like one. It helps get better as well as a scoring man. As we already saw it in the game agasint the pacer and spurs that he didn't shoot as much and yet he dominated.
Wassabiii
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 08:55:17 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

Karl Malone got so lucky in that game with Yao and the rockets. He made 3 long jumper in the last 3 minutes that gave the Jazz a Win. He made a fall away jumper in 1:30 mark another 16 foot jumper .30 seconds later. Why don't those guard or forward stop the guy from taking those killer shot.
After that, Yao had a good Slam dunk to close the lead from the Jazz. Then Malone again put another jumper to seal the win at .30 second mark.

Marlone's lucky night, it's his birthday.

NOTE:: Rudy T, never utilize Yao to the limit. This isn't good because Yao already proven he could take Tim Duncan and Brad Miller of the Pacer. And he's should be utilize more and see what the team can do with him.
BasketBall Guru
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 08:35:33 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

Yao Ming does things that'll shock ya,

Won't believe what he does with the rock ya,

You get into his grill,

He'll flat cold cock ya,

Forget about Shaq,

He could stuff Chewbacca.

Yao Ming, Yao Ming, Yao Ming.

Yao Ming just boinked Lisa Ling

When he was done she screamed "Yao Da King!"

Yao Ming Yao Ming Yao Ming Yao Ming

Has a huge gargantuan Male Thing!!!
Asian King
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 07:29:08 (PST) [161.159.4.20]

To Brock Landers:

Yes, Yao is not a Top 5 center. But he is also, for all intents and purposes, a rookie. How effective was Shaq as a rookie? How good was Kobe as a rookie? Heck, even #23 was no game-breaker as a rookie, so cut the man some slack. He will improve, and, barring severe injury, will become one of the better players in the league.

Also, as to the 1 billion+ people in China "voting" for him - I don't think the ballots are distributed in China, and even if they were (via the Internet) - only a relatively few Chinese have access to the Internet to vote for him.

To Michael Jackson:

Has it occurred to you WHY the likes of Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Iverson, et al take as many shots as they do? Yes, most of the time they get barely 50% of their shots to drop, but they take so many because their coaches believe that they represent their teams' best option as far as shooting the basketball. The players who shoot less do so because they are either less likely to make shots, or not experienced enough to play well in big games.

Using your logic, Mark Madsen (LA Lakers bench-rider) would be an All-Star if he were allowed to take 50 shots a game. Your reasoning is faulty.

As far as Shaq making 50% due to his body size, to what do you attribute Yao's success? It's not like he's a 5'9" point guard having to scrap for every shot like an Iverson or Nash.
"B" as in "bictory"
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 03:47:06 (PST) [63.98.74.2]

Just wait until we see him play agianst Shaq.

Then we do the talking.

But, so far, he made Barkley kiss an ass and made Shawn Bradley eat his own word.

"If Yao is 7'5", then im 10".

Yes Bradley, you are 10". Too bad you scored "0" and Yao scored "30".
cnaman
Tuesday, December 24, 2002 at 01:42:16 (PST) [134.139.23.121]

Hey counterpuncher, if Yao isn't an all star center, who is in the western conference? Genius, pure genius...(sarcasm). Rather, it's ethnic envy on his part, especially considering his infinite array of Chinese allusions when downplaying Yao's success. As most of the brothaz in the league say, heed these words: "playa don't hate".
chinatown
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 22:11:03 (PST) [67.98.161.236]

I want all of you to go on the NBA official website (www.nba.com) and see who they playing for the center position of the Western Conference in this year's NBA All-Star game???

Duncan and Nowitski ain't listed as centers. And, besides Shaq, who else is better than Yao at this point?

I bet you it is not only Chinese and Asians voting for Yao. It could be them white, Hispanic and black ladies too, you know!!!
Asian basketball
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 21:52:14 (PST) [64.130.235.33]

I think the teams whos play Yao Ming and the Rockets are getting a lot smarter now. They double and tripple team him and limit him in his offense moves with their defense. But now Yao and his coach are trying to find new offense move to counter whatever any team may have for Yao and the rockets. Let's just hope they have a different strategy in their offense, in a few more game coming.
Basketball Guru
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 20:09:25 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

All-

It's great for all asian americans when ANY asian makes an impact in professional sports in the U.S.

Within the Asian community, we have our rivalries and jealousies. That's NATURAL and not something we should worry about. Look at the Europeans; they have fought amongst themselves for centuries. However, when facing an outside threat, they seem to usually unite.

Likewise Asians shouldn't stress too much about our inter-Asian squabbling; it's NORMAL. At the same time, we should support each other when it comes to things outside the Asian community.

All that being said, I think the coming few years will see an explosion in pro Asian atheletes in the U.S. Just look at the last ten or so years: Ichiro, Yao Ming, Park Chan-ho, Kim Byung-hyun, Hideo Nomo, Michael Chang, Korean women dominating on the LPGA, Top 20 Thai male tennis player, Top 40 Korean male PGA player, Japan and Korea in the last soccer world cup, etc.

The thing is this: Asians are finally starting to have access to the resources (nutrition, equipment, etc.) to be successful in sports. Having been to Korea recently, I can tell you, the young kids are getting HUGE!!! It seemed like every young guy was at least 6 feet or so. I kid you not; I was AMAZED. Moreover, they're starting to play sports a lot more these days.

In fact, there's a bunch of promising young atheletes that have been reported on. In China, for example, I heard there's like 100 7 footers or so. (sorry I don't know any names). In Korea, there's a 7'3" high school senior who's supposed to be really good at b-ball, and who might be coming over in 4 or 5 years. In baseball, there's Mitsui (6'1" 210 lbs.) coming over to the Yankees this season. Also this season, starting at first base for the Chicago Cubs will be Choi Hee-sup (6'5" 240lbs).

One last point: let's not be too harsh on our fellow Asian-Americans for the lack of pro Asian-American atheletes. (This is not an excuse; think about this!) THere are ONLY 10 million Asians in this country, compared to 40 million Blacks, 40 million Hispanics and 200 million Whites. With such a small population, there will be FAR LESS pro atheletes. Also, most Asians have been here, at the longest, from the mid 1960's. (There were laws blocking Asian immigration to the U.S. until that time). Lastly, many of us are raised in a culture (both at home and at school) that emphasizes Asians studying and discourages atheletics. For these reasons, generally speaking, we'll probably have to look to Asia for the most part to see Asian pro atheletes in the U.S Just my two cents.
d-boy
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 19:03:53 (PST) [172.167.225.86]

Brock Landers,
Counter puncher

Shaq sucks, Laker are 3 times champion and yet they struggle with the worst team in the league. The almost lost that game against Raptor. Raptor teams star player ain't even playing. Look at vince carter and antonia davis, team lead rebounder didn't play and laker struggle. They suck, it will be a big surprise if they go into the play-off this year.
noki
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 19:01:12 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

Yao defintly change the way the game is play. There had been double even tripple team on Yao. Minnesota change their defense around Yao. And Yao said, "if they change their defense on me, I'm gonna need to change my Offense". Yao still manage 12 pts which is very good...
Yao-Da-King
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 17:44:54 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

People who say that Yao gets voted in because of people in China voting are lying. Nearly all the votes are coming from the U.S.

Have you ever been to China? I have. Did you know that the top-selling NBA player apparel IN CHINA is by far MICHAEL JORDAN? So why does he trail Vince Carter by 165,00 votes and Tracy McGrady by 140,000 votes and Allen Iverson by 68,000 votes? Michael is by far the most popular NBA player in China, so why is he trailing in All-Star votes if all the Chinese are voting for him. (sarcasm)
If you watch the news, who are the ones praising Yao? They are his teammates, other NBA players, the American media and NBA broadcasters. Bill Walton, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Isaiah Thomas, the list goes on forever.

If Yao makes it as the All-Star game starter, he got in because the people in the U.S. wanted him in.
The truth
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 16:01:03 (PST) [172.151.179.239]

To you Yao haters:

If Shaq is so good, how come after 10 years in the league and so much practice, Shaq still can't make his free throws? The last 2 games, he's made 15 of 37 free throws.
Why is that the Lakers win-loss record is only 7-9 with Shaq back in the lineup? A players' true worth is making him team win.
Face the reality. The only reason Shaq does good is because he's the heaviest player in the NBA. All he ever does is bump other guys out of the way and hit layups. When was the last time he's hit a 20 foot jumper? Never.
Shaq is whaq
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 15:33:46 (PST) [172.151.179.239]

Counter puncher,
With the kind of mouth you have. I bet you get mug or jump all the times. lol
nobilli
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 14:11:00 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

Counter puncher,
LOL, your a funny dude. Well, first you think Yao sucks. Now your reconsidering that Yao is so far better than all the rookie. What's next, your going to fell in the tolit and not be able to get back up?

I really think your a racist fool though, why keep on bring up chinese in your post. Do you really hate chinese people that much? Gosh, looking at your post in the factor in friendship section, you seem to hate everyone. Your the worst of human kind, not the typical asain men at all.
Korean aren't any better. Your one reason why there is North and South Korea. It just cracks me up...
I think your jealous of chinese people making it into NBA. The reason Korea didn't make it is because the country has PROBLEMS. Especially problems with the U.S, why you think the korean man never made it. No respect for your country...
Kimchi
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 13:59:34 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

>>>Its all Chinese hype, its pretty embarrassing listening to some of the Chinese. Its like they have no sense of reality.>>>

And where's the Korean hype? Oh that's right, no Korean ballers in the NBA.
Laughing at Bitterness
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 13:22:46 (PST) [64.12.96.205]

Counter puncher,

You sound like a broken record player. I guess 20 years from now when Yao enters the Hall of Fame. You'll still be dogging him.

If Yao keep performing and improving at this rate, he'll definitely make rookie of the year.

Chinese hype...I didn't know the USA had a branch of the China propoganda department here.
AC Dropout
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 13:11:15 (PST) [24.136.115.189]

Brock Landers/Counter Puncher/be humble yo:

Why don't you guys form a league called SLA - Self Loathers ASSociation?

Have you guys lost a lot of bets lately like the one lost by Charles Barkely?

"...because he was pounded too hard from Shaq." When did Shaq and Yao play, you moron.
FOP
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 12:09:51 (PST) [67.25.118.160]

Counter puncher,

Punch this, he going to be all-star weather you like it or not. And chinese people have that right to vote as only the NBA is going to make money off them. So why not vote their favoite player into all-star. It's their choice and their paying the price for it. So live with it.

Korea is a funny country, now try to built nuclear bomb. I doubt they will ever make it.
Wassabii
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 10:00:00 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

�He shall be �The Man� in a few years to come�
Shaquille
fan
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 09:01:00 (PST) [172.156.134.150]

Counter puncher,
Welcome back fool. I know your just jealous that korean don't make it to the NBA. lol. Your probably the weakest man of all asain men. The reason why Korean don't make it to the NBA is because their government is corrupt, people look down at that country, especially american people.
iodic
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 09:00:11 (PST) [24.239.152.113]

Hello Brock Landers, how's the weather down in Texas? Are you one of those guys who can't take it when an Asian man dominates over Whites and Blacks? If so, I feel pity for you.
Landers: pathetic loser
Monday, December 23, 2002 at 08:16:11 (PST) [207.214.44.148]

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