Yao Ming

Yao Ming () (born September 12, 1980 in Shanghai, China) is a Chinese professional basketball player and is currently considered one of the most dominant centers in the NBA. He plays for the Houston Rockets in the National Basketball Association. He was selected by Houston as the 1st overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft and eventually signed with them on October 21, 2002. Yao Ming is also currently the tallest player in the NBA, listed at a playing height of 7 feet, 6 inches (2.29 m) ^*^*. In his rookie season, though now less so, he spoke via his interpreter and now close friend, Colin Pine. Yao is regarded as the most dominant center, if not player, to come out of China.

CBA career

Yao Ming debuted in the Chinese Basketball Association as a presumably shorter 17-year old. He put together a solid year for a young player, scoring 10 points and grabbing 9 rebounds a game in 1997–98. Missing much of the following season to injury, he returned in 1999–2000 with 21 points, a league-best 14 rebounds, and over 5 blocks per game. The 2000–01 season proved highly fruitful for Yao, as he became MVP of the league at the age of 20 with a fantastic year, scoring 27 points and grabbing an exceptional 19 rebounds per game.

Having been a veteran of international competition for several years, he played well in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics, and was a teammate of Wang Zhizhi and Mengke Bateer on the Chinese National Team where they became known as “The Walking Great Wall”, but it was his MVP selection that put him in the minds of NBA scouts. However, after the CBA assured him that he would not get released from their league if he entered the draft, Yao chose not to enter the 2001 NBA Draft. This proved to be a good decision, as he played even better in 2001–02, scoring 32 points and grabbing 19 rebounds per game with a 72% field goal percentage, second in the league in both points and rebounds per game. He won a sportsmanship award and, more importantly, led his team, the Shanghai Sharks, to a CBA title (coincidentally, the team he helped beat was a "Rockets" team, the Bayi Rockets). He was even more dominant in the playoffs and had a game in which he made all 21 shots he attempted.

Yao automatically became eligible for the 2002 NBA Draft, with international players being eligible if they were 22 at the start of the NBA season. Widely considered a top prospect, he reportedly wowed scouts with a terrific exhibition at a draft camp. It caught the interest of the team with the number one overall draft pick, the Houston Rockets. The Rockets needed a center after the departure of long-time star Hakeem Olajuwon a year before, and decided Yao would be able to fill the void. In the 2002 NBA Draft, Yao became the first international player without U.S. college experience to be selected first overall.

Yao played with the Chinese national team at the FIBA World Championships in Indianapolis during the 2002 offseason. After making the all-tournament team in Indianapolis, he played with NBA rookie-to-be Manu Ginobili and NBA stars Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic. This helped reinforce his reputation and led many to predict that Yao would become the next dominant NBA center.

NBA career

Yao's preseason performances, however, were lackluster, and left many wondering why he was the first overall pick. He started the regular season on the bench, and seemed to be a long project and years away from becoming a major contributor to the team. However, he began to turn things around in mid-November. In a game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he scored 20 points, making all of his shots (9 field goals and two free throws) against one of the best teams in the NBA. This performance led to a memorable televised incident where TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley, having lost a bet in which he stated Yao would never score 19 points in a game for the season, was supposed to literally kiss the buttocks of his TNT co-analyst Kenny Smith, but was forced to fulfill the bet on a donkey brought onto the TV set by Smith. Two games later, against the Rockets' in-state rival Dallas Mavericks, he deposited 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in a game that showed that Yao could definitely play as a starter. By the end of the month, Yao was firmly entrenched in the starting lineup.

By December and January, Yao was proving to be a highly consistent starter. He put up only a few big games, largely because he did not play as many minutes in games, but he helped his team whenever he took to the court. Eventually, he was perceived as a rival to the Lakers' star center Shaquille O'Neal, turning Rockets/Lakers games into Yao vs. Shaq games. O'Neal was criticized for comments he made before the season when asked about the matchups, as he told a reporter to leave Yao a message which mimicked the Chinese language. Yao took it in stride, and eased the situation by joking that "Chinese is a hard language to learn." O'Neal later apologized for the comments and praised Yao after a mid-season game between the rival teams, calling him a "class act."

That sort of good humour and light-heartedness off the court, plus his reputation for being very personable, made him extremely popular among fans. His likability inspired a catchy song in the Houston area by artists Chance McClain and Kevin Ryan (loosely based on the popular "Olé" chants you would hear at a European football game), and, despite being just a rookie, Yao quickly became one of the league's most marketable players. Featured in advertisements of Apple, Gatorade, and a popular Super Bowl ad for Visa, it did not take long for "Yao Ming" to become a household name.

In February, Yao was rewarded for his excellent play by being selected as the starting center for the Western Conference in the 2003 NBA All-Star Game in Atlanta, Georgia. Although he scored only two points and grabbed only two rebounds in 16 minutes of play, his selection proved how popular he was with fans, as he garnered more votes than established NBA stars such as Shaquille O'Neal.

Many basketball fans have criticized Yao's All-Star selections, claiming that he could not be voted in as a starter without the substantial number of votes he receives from his native China, as the NBA had extended its online fan voting for the All-Star starters to that country for the first time in 2002–03. These fans are quick to point out China's massive population as an unfair advantage in favor of Yao. Yao's main Western Conference rival at center in his first two seasons, Shaquille O'Neal, has also cited Yao's support from Chinese fans as the reason why he receives more All-Star votes. However, despite the significant backlash against Yao, no actual figures have yet been provided to prove that Chinese fans have ever been the deciding factor in All-Star voting. In fact, for the 2004 All-Star Game, the year in which Yao won the starting spot by the smallest margin in his career, he actually received around 4,000 fewer online votes than his rival, Shaquille O'Neal. Yao managed to make up for this by outvoting O'Neal in paper balloting. These paper ballots were handed out in NBA arenas and shopping malls in the United States and Chinese fans were unable to vote on them. Thanks to paper balloting, Yao went on to finish ahead of O'Neal that year by a margin of 29,000 votes overall.

Following the All-Star break in 2003, Yao continued the consistency he showed in the first half of the year, as he helped the Rockets unsuccessfully battle for a playoff spot. Yao finished the season averaging 13.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, second among rookies, in addition to a rookie-class best 1.8 blocks per game, and finishing 2nd in rookie of the year voting, losing out to high schooler Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns.

During the NBA's offseason in 2003, Yao spent a great deal of time helping to raise money and awareness of SARS in his home country. Among his efforts was a telethon he hosted, which raised $300,000 to help stop the disease.

Before the start of Yao's sophomore season, the Rockets' head coach Rudy Tomjanovich had resigned due to health issues and long time New York Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy was brought in. Van Gundy ran a slower offense with a higher emphasis on Yao. As a result, Yao averaged 17.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game (both team highs), and scored a career-high 41 points against the Atlanta Hawks in February. He was voted the starting center of the 2004 NBA All-Star game for the second year in a row (once again ahead of Shaquille O'Neal). His improvement was showcased by his 16 points and 4 rebounds in only 20 minutes in his second All-Star game. Yao was also instrumental in helping the Rockets claim the seventh seed in the 2003–04 Playoffs. Despite his efforts, the team was eliminated by the Lakers in the first round. However, his performance left no doubt that Yao would be the next dominant center of the NBA.

During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yao carried the Chinese flag during the opening ceremony. He then famously vowed to abstain from shaving his beard for half a year unless the Chinese national basketball team made it into the quarter-finals. After some sub-par games in which China lost 58–83, 57–82, and 52–89 against Spain, Argentina and Italy respectively, they came back with a miraculous 67–66 win over reigning world champions Serbia and Montenegro; Yao practically carried the team with 27 points. He was selected to the All-Olympics team with his dominating performance, averaging 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.

In 2004–05, his third season in the NBA, Yao had another impressive year, leading the Rockets along with offseason acquisition Tracy McGrady to their second straight playoff appearance. On March 11, 2005, Yao logged an impressive "20/20" game against the Phoenix Suns in which he scored 27 points, grabbed 22 rebounds, and blocked 5 shots. The Rockets were eliminated in the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs by the Dallas Mavericks in 7 games, during which Yao averaged 21.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game, including three 30+ point games. He was voted as a Western Conference All-Star in February after shattering the record for most All-Star votes with 2,558,278, breaking Michael Jordan's previous record. This was aided by the fact that Shaquille O'Neal was traded to the Eastern Conference's Miami Heat during the offseason, but it is also a testament to Yao's rise to one of the NBA's elite. Yao's rise to stardom in the NBA can partially be credited to former NBA superstar center Patrick Ewing, who was hired by Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy to aid Yao's development as a center.

In 2005, Yao became the subject of a documentary film, The Year of the Yao, which focuses on his NBA rookie year and his first year living in the United States.

2005-2006

Although players his size have historically been unreliable, Yao had been very durable during his first three seasons in the NBA. He missed no games in his first two seasons, and failed to play in only two during his third. However, twenty-two games into his fourth season Yao was forced onto the inactive list for an extended period for the first time in his career due to an acute case of osteomyelitis in the big toe on his left foot. The toe had been giving him trouble since its nail had fallen off in the preseason, and Yao blamed Danny Fortson for aggravating it in a game against the Sonics in Seattle. On December 18, 2005, with the rest of the team staying in Los Angeles to play the Lakers, Yao returned to Houston to have surgery performed on the toe. He was placed on the inactive list and missed a total of 21 games, returning to the lineup on January 30. Yao became much more active on the court after the surgery. This new found agility allows him to be more aggressive in the low block on the offensive end while avoiding foul trouble on defense. With his increased time on the court, along with his teammate Tracy McGrady's absence because of chronic back troubles, Yao became the primary option for the Rockets at the offensive end. In the 25 games after the All-Star break, Yao averaged 25.7 points and 11.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 53.7 % from the field and 87.8 % at the free throw line. However, he suffered another major injury in a game against the Utah Jazz on April 10, 2006 - an accidental collision with opposing center Mehmet Okur left him with a broken bone in his left foot. This will require surgery, likely taking him out of action for an estimated 6 months. However, Yao has made favourable progress so far, and he is pushing himself to play for his home country in August.

In the 2006 NBA All-Star game balloting, Yao again led all NBA players with 2,342,738 votes, while Kobe Bryant received the second-most votes with 2,271,631.

As a testament to Yao's improving game, according to the Sports Xchange, he was picked as team MVP for the 2005-2006 season despite missing 35 games. Though it should be noted that while teammate Tracy McGrady also missed significant time, Yao's dominant play after the All-Star break allowed him to garner the award.

NBA career highlights

4-time NBA All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
2-time All-NBA:

Third Team: 2004, 2006
- TSN NBA Rookie of the Year: 2003
NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2003

Scouting report

While not particularly athletic, his height provides an excellent method of shooting over defenders. He has an accurate jump shot as far as 20 feet (6.1 m) (he even made one 3 pointer in his rookie season and several in his CBA career) but he scores primarily within 10-12 feet (3.0 to 3.7 m) of the basket through an assortment of hook shots, turn arounds, and slam dunks. When Yao gets position in the post, he is almost indefensible; he is quick enough to get around a defender and he is tall enough to shoot over one. He is among the league leaders in free throw shooting for centers, shooting over 80% for his career. Yao's court vision and passing ability are excellent for a big man. He has great fundamentals along with a great sense of court instincts. Some specific criticism of his game is that he is not particularly aggressive and has trouble maintaining his stamina. However, Yao is considered a consummate team player, often giving up shot opportunities and passing to his teammates. His shot attempts are low compared to other elite players, thereby limiting his points per game average. His field goal percentage, however, has been impressive. He finished third in field goal percentage in the NBA for the 2004-2005 season.

Defensively, Yao's height makes him an intimidator and deterrent in the paint, although many still feel he is not nearly as strong in the low post as he can be. Although he is among the league's leaders in blocked shots, many people criticize Yao's shotblocking abilities because they believe that at his height, he should average even more (Yao did not reach an average of 2 blocks per game until the end of his third season). Some analysts blame Yao's number of blocks on his proportionately short wingspan, which, unlike many other players, is slightly less than his height. However, Yao's wingspan is still longer than average. It should be noted that the Rockets play a slow-paced style of basketball and that Yao does not get many minutes for a star player (because of a combination of low stamina and a tendency to pick up fouls), both factors that would lead to lower stats. A comparison of the actual percentage of opposing teams' shot attempts that are blocked by Yao to the block percentages of other players reveals that Yao is an elite shotblocker.

On defense, Yao does not stay put in the paint, because his team's defensive scheme calls for him to chase offensive players on the perimeter and trap pick and rolls. The mobile defense that is demanded from Yao is believed to be a factor in his fatigue. Although he is not particularly strong nor a great leaper, his height, long arms, and quickness allow him to play effective defense even against the strongest players.

Yao is an above average rebounder but hardly a dominant one. While he is among the top 20 in rebounding, he seems to have trouble establishing himself as an elite rebounder. This is due to many factors including the fact that Yao plays fewer minutes than many top rebounders, and doesn't have the lateral quickness to cover a lot of court space. This leads to Yao being more of a "phone-booth rebounder" where he can only grab the boards that are coming at him, as if he was standing in an imaginary phone booth. However, many, including renowned coach Hubie Brown, believe that given enough minutes and shot attempts, Yao can easily average 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game. Statistically, Yao is averaging 31.0 points (11th overall) and 14.1 rebounds (11th overall) per 48 minutes during the 2005-2006 season, a measurement which many experts believe is a far more accurate method of measuring a player's production. In comparison, established superstar center Shaquille O'Neal has per 48 minute averages of 31.8 points and 15.0 rebounds, a difference of only 0.8 points and 0.9 rebounds from Yao's statistics.

Yao has the potential to become the most dominant center in the league for years to come. His sheer size allows him to easily shoot over any defender. He has a variety of offensive post moves and his skill for his size is unparalleled. However, many believe that his lack of assertiveness and speed hinders his ascension to the next level. Despite criticism of Yao's slow development over his 4 years in the NBA, he has nonetheless exceeded the expectations of many and has become one of the top centers in the world today.

Allegations

In early 2006, former Newsweek editor and author Brook Larmer released "Operation Yao Ming", a controversial book in which he claims that as a child Yao was forced against his will to play basketball by and for the Chinese government. In addition, Larmer alleges that Yao's father, 6-foot-10 (2.08 m) Yao Zhiyuan, and mother, 6-foot-2 (1.88 m) Fang Fengdi, both national team basketball players, were, on retirement, "encouraged" to wed, with the aim of producing an athletic if not also extremely tall future son. This allegation has yet to be supported by outside documentations or evidence and both the senior Yao and Mdm Fang have denied these allegations. A Sports Illustrated article pointed out if this were really the case, there would have been at least five Yao Mings and China would be unbeatable. In reality, Yao Ming is the only child. Yao Ming has never made mention that he was forced to play basketball.

Among other unsubstantiated allegations made in the book are the possible use of growth hormone treatment by the Chinese government on its athletes, although Yao is not explicitly named as having received any treatments. ^*. This book has come under fire from reporters and the Chinese government, due in part to the book's racist overtones and depiction of the Chinese national sports program as "Stalinistic" in nature.