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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's body is highly disproportional. He has a very long neck. If he had a normal neck, he would only be about 7'1". That's why his wingspan is not that great.
Joey
Wednesday, July 24, 2002 at 08:52:32 (PDT)
They hate Yao because he's Chinese...and out of sheer envy-driven spite. Sorry your peoples are little folks, aiite?
chinatown
Tuesday, July 23, 2002 at 20:31:26 (PDT)
at 7"5 yao ming only has 7"1 wingspan??!?!
dang, that brizilian guy drafted this year stands only 6"10 and has 7"4 wingspan!!!
mike tyson is only 5"10 or 5"11, and has 7" wingspan!!!
i think yao needs to hang on to the basket more so his arms will be streched out.
dang
Tuesday, July 23, 2002 at 17:19:44 (PDT)
Mike M,
> People kept on talking about his
> outside game as if that's all his
> Offense and perpetuate the image that
> he's not an inside player(on
> Offense). He scores more than half of
> his points from inside--mostly lay-
> ups, dunks, and hook shots!!!
Other than for the Olympics, he has yet to face defenders from the NBA. His offense will be greatly contained if he's guarded by another 7' footer with hops. They don't play any defense in China nor Europe. Like you mentioned, Ming's vertical is not that impressive, and he doesn't have great hops. A kid like 6'10" Amare Stoudamire can probably outjump and reach higher than him.
> Most of his blocks came from weak-
> side defense and not on a 1-on-1
> play!
I recall he swatted Gary Payton like that, but NBA players are experienced and adapt quickly. I can see Ming getting a lot of goaltending calls.
> As a matter of fact, it is very
> difficult to block someone's shot
> playone 1-on-1.
If a player is a short or weak defender, he might think like that.
> Shaq gives every defender troubler--
> Ming or not! Besides Shaq who in the
> NBA weighs more than Ming (296 lbs)?
296 relative to his 7-5 height is not that big. It's nor overall mass that's important, but overall muscle and strength. 6'3" Baron Davis can box out 6'9" Darius Miles. Ming is not thaaaaaat skinny, but still, at his position, he still needs more muscle content, especially in the pro's. Anthony Mason is like 10 inches shorter than Ming and maybe 40 lbs lighter or so, but I bet you Mason is a lot stronger and can move him out of the block. The NBA is just a lot more physical.
> Besides, he'll play Shaq only 4 times
> out of 82!! So tell me how is it
> going to be like the other 72 games!
Ming can't even overpower and dominate a dude that didn't even get drafted (I can't spell his name, but the Oregon guy.) And you say you've watched plenty of his clips. I'm sure you've also followed some of his games in China. Well, just past season, there was another former NBA center playing in the CBA (don't recall his name), but everytime he faced Ming, he had some stats like 35+ points and 20+ rebounds. Tell me that's not ugly. And yes, that was done by a dude that got cut from an NBA roster. I'm actually trying to find that link. Maybe you already have it.
> Again, you haven't seen what I have
> seen!! I have seen him driving to the
> basket for a dunk 1-on-1. Stole a
> ball and drove to the basketball from
> half-court for a dunk.
You've seen him play against a bunch of scrubs, or players that couldn't even make the NBA roster.
> Besides the jump-shot that you only
> saw, I have seen his hook shot(with
> both hands) and his fade-away.
I sorta like his hook shot, but it's not perfect. Don't get too excited. He's no Kareem. Maybe years will help him develop that.
> Ming has a wingspan of a 7'1"layer.
> How many players are 7'1" or taller?
> Besides he has 4-inch advantage over
> 7'1" people.
There's that 7'3" cat in Cleveland (call him Z). How did Z do last season? 6 points per game. Height doesn't automatically translate into an NBA bad ass. Muerason, Bradley, Bol... all tall as f----, but it doesn't matter because you need more than height to survive. Just hope Ming realizes that his height can only carry him so far.
> So are you telling me that Shaq,
> Hakeem, Robinson, Alonzo,.. etc..
> have never been dunked on? by 6'
> guards? KJ dunking over Dream?
I don't remember the last time Shaq ever got dunked on. Do you?
> "On the regular"? you mean when
> Bradley was standing 10 ft from the
> basket?
no, it means bradley gets dunked on regularly on sportscenter highlights.
> People have different means or moves
> to score 2. Some dunk, some shoot,
> some lays it, and some just tosses it
> up. 2 points is 2 points!
Layups are for softies. I say that because NBA Centers miss more on layup attempts than dunk attempts. Ming should just play a big man's game and dunk more often. Besides, they don't call offensive fouls in the NBA. Ask Vlade.
> Does Ming's 72%FG from ChBA or his 75%
> FG from the recent tournament tel you
> anything???? As a matter of fact,
> he's using his height to his
> advantage, unlike what you believe;
> he shoots/hooks over his defender at
> makes it at a high percentage.
Yes, he shoots/hooks over very WEAK defenders.
> From what I saw, he lingers within 15
> feet of the basket most of the time!!
For a center, 15 feet is almost like a mile away from the basket.
> Didn't I say that he played against
> centers ranging from 6'11" to 7'3"??
> Dude, do your research! Atlanta and
> Golden State do not have a 7 footer
> on their team!
I stopped watching the lame Warriors after they failed to make the playoffs for like the 14th straight time. Okay, not that bad, but they're not a fun team to watch. miss run TMC.
But anyway, 7footer centers are more common than what you make it to be.
> Right... most, about 55%-60%, 7-
> footer centers start and the average
> starting center height is about 7'!
> Ming still has 5 inches over them!
Gheorge Muerasn had a 7-8 inch advantage on most centers, but so? Height does mean as much if you don't have agility and quickness. Ming is not awful in that department, but it's not overly impressive neither. He does look slow to me though.
> His turnaround jumper is slow? Yes
> it's very slooooow for a 6'5" guard!
> Do not compare How many 7-foot
> centers can do it faster??
Shaq is tall AND fat, and he's fast. Duncan is tall, and he's fast. KG is tall, and he's fast. When Robinson and Hakeem were in their primes, they were fast. But Ming? ..... speedwise, I don't see him anywhere near that group.
> Yes Chris blocked his lay-ups--not
> his hook shot or jumper!! Also Chris
> has a vertical of 9'10" while Ming
> has a vertical of 9'7"!
So you have been following draft info too. but still, don't you think a #1 pick should have dominated a guy that wasn't even draftet anyway? Other than for the jumper skills challenge, that Oregon guy held his own alright against Ming. I expected Ming to demolish a scrub draft player, but he didn't. the only excuse that I can offer for Ming is jet lag, but he should have been prepared anyway.
> He DOES NOT hang around at the arc
> like Wang!!
Not the arc, but he's pretty much out there. In the pro's, he's not going to get that many rebounds if he's floating 15 feet away with dudes boxing him out after every shot.
> Again, you're comparing apples to
> oranges! Dude, Ming IS a center!
> Centers he played against at the
> tournament were 6'11" to 7'3" and
> most were over 7-footers! Even in the
> ChBA, almost very team has a 7-
> footer! Do the 7-footers play point
> guard? NO, they play center! And
> centers guard center. KG swatting
> Ming's shot?
Again, you are operating under the assumption that all things are black and white. Ever heard of rotation or switch on man? Even if KG is not on Ming, it does not mean that he cannot come out and cover for help. It's not an issue of what position they're playing, but where they are defending on the floor.
> really? Did you see how he shot over
> KG at the Olympics effortlessly and
> scored?? That was 2 years ago and now
> he's improved.
The last Olympic US "dream team" was a joke. They were just there getting a sun tan and playing their C game. It's not going to be like that in the real NBA season. You brought up Olympics, so how did China do anyway? 9th place overall. I don't think I would want to bring that up to a white guy if we're talking about basketball.
> Does it matter if they have Peja or
> not? Does he play center? Europeans
> play aggressive defense and that team
> was as good a defensive team as their
> best!
Peja plays forward, but what does Vlade play?
The Yugolsavian team was not an A team. Ming has historically done average to poor outside of China against HIGHER LEVEL competition. That Austrailian team was a joke with Chris Antsey.
> Besides the tight defense they
> played, they also doubled and tripled
> team Ming. Despite the double and
> triple teams he still managed 20-13-4.
i know that's an exaggeration. Ming being double-teamed on a few occasions. possbily. but triple teamed like throughout the entire game? unlikely. If the D was that hard on him, he should have averaged more than 4 assists, ya dig?
> Maybe we have different definitions
> of a "impact player." One doesn't
> have to average 20-10-3 to be an
> impact player!
so what are you expections of Ming for his rookie year? points, rebounds, assists, blocks, and total team wins. My definition of impact players are like Robinson, when he helped turn his team around by 25+ games, or maybe Duncan, when he was the missing piece to win a champhionship.
But Ming???? He's too much of a project. I'm not even confident that Houston can make the playoffs. I'm guessing he would have Candiman-like stats.
> His team needs rebounding and weak-
> side defense/blocking(not 1-on-1)
> because of the poor or lack of
> defense by Houston's guards! He won't
> even be the top 3 offensive option.
:) See, you didn't have to write so much above if you just wrote this sentence. Yea, I don't necessarily seeing him being the top 3 offensice option there neither, except not in the near term. He just has too much to learn and adapt. He's no Duncan or Hakeem, rookie players that have made a dramatic difference on their teams in the first year.
> If you have watched any of Houston's
> games you would know what they're
> missing. Often Francis drives in and
> dishes to Cato--Cato either misses or
> loses the ball. Now wouldn't Ming
> help here? There's more but this post
> is already too long!
yes, Cato sucks. and yes, both our posts are waaaay too long, but basketball talk is always good in my book, better than some of the really weird topics around here. let's shorten it next time.
> What I'm saying is that he'll help
> his team win more games.
how much more?
> Would you agree with me that good
> decision-making has something to do
> with intelligence? ...and that some
> basketball plays depends on good
> decision-making?
oh, definitely, that's why slow and physically weak players like bird ever made it in this game. but still, being a fundamentally sound and intelligent player can only carry you so far if you don't have supreme athletic abilities. Check out Jon Barry. He's probably the smartest on his team in terms of hoop IQ, but it doesn't mean much. Actually, i'd rather take a dumb player that can get things done than a smart player who doesn't have the goods.
> To sum up my views. I don't think
> Ming will become another Shaq or
> Hakeem. He will eventually be better
> Rik Smits -- hence an all-start
> player
Yea, I can go with that. I think ESPN magazine and Bill Walton had sorta blown this thing way out of porportion, and I reeeeeeeeally hope Ming is more than what I give him credit for because it's really a make-or-break chance for any future chinese hopefuls.
Anyway, I just think it would have been much nicer if Ming went unnoticed and got draftet at a lower number like 15 or something and then surprise everyone. The expectations on him are just so high now that it's not really fair.
peace
Dan Wang
Tuesday, July 23, 2002 at 12:46:06 (PDT)
FOP,
I know that most NBA players exaggerate their height, but if Kenny Smith was 8 INCHES shorter, I think people would have noticed by now. 6'2"? Maybe. 5'8"? I don't think that's true.
I don't think so.
Tuesday, July 23, 2002 at 11:48:48 (PDT)
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