Yao Ming is perhaps the greatest Asian basketball player of all time. Standing at 7’5″ many have forgotten just how amazing Yao was due to his injury-riddled career. But, despite the initial racial comments he first made, there is one man who still recognizes his greatness. That man was none other than Shaquille O’Neal.
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In 2002, the Houston Rockets drafted the Beast from the East with the first overall pick. And, one of his first opponents was the Los Angeles Lakers and Big Diesel. However, in their first meeting, the lack of respect from one side was obvious.
Shaq clearly wasn’t impressed by the Chinese center and made that clear in a very racially charged interview. However, as he grew both as a player and as a human being, O’Neal learned from his mistakes and came to appreciate the player that Yao was. Going so far as to say that he could have been a Top-5 center if it wasn’t for injuries.
Shaquille O’Neal once said that injuries prevented Yao Ming from being a Top-5 center
Despite being a world-class player, Yao Ming only spent eight seasons in the NBA. The former Rockets star retired in 2011, citing injuries as the primary reason for his decision. It was a tragedy, especially considering the caliber of player he was.
In his eight seasons in the league, Yao averaged 19 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks per game, while also making eight All-Star appearances. With such a resume, it’s only natural that many wonder what could have been. What could have been if he wasn’t so injury-prone?
Well, his former rival, Shaquille O’Neal has the answer. Soon after announcing his retirement, Shaq was asked to comment on Yao’s career. And, the big man had nothing but praise. He credited Chairman Yao for being an agile player, capable of playing both on the inside and the outside. But, perhaps the greatest compliment was when he acknowledge Ming as a player who could have gone down as one of the Top-5 greatest centers if it wasn’t for injuries.
Shaq: “He was very agile. He could play inside, he could play outside, and if he didn’t have those injuries, he could’ve been up there in the top five centers to ever play the game.”
High praise from one of the greatest centers of all time. It’s great to see the reverence Shaq now has for Yao both as a player and as a person. A huge step up from when his father had to force him to show respect.
Shaquille O’Neal was once forced to apologize to Yao by his father
They may share a mutual respect for each other now, but there was a time when Shaquille O’Neal had little to no respect for Yao Ming. Having made a racist remark toward the Chinese star, Shaq was ignorant of his mistake. That was until his father, Phillip Harrison pointed out that Yao was a long-time fan of Shaq and that he needs to show him the respect he deserves.
Upon hearing from his father, O’Neal immediately knew what needed to be done. He apologized to Yao and to the people of China. Of course, Yao being the nice guy that he is accepted the apology and the two have been good friends ever since.
