“Yao Ming was stupefied at the sight of Michael Jordan”: Rockets legend recalls a hilarious incident when he forgot how to shoot at MJ’s basketball camp

Tonoy Sengupta | 25/03/2021
"Yao Ming was stupefied at the sight of Michael Jordan": Rockets legend recalls a hilarious incident when he forgot how to shoot at MJ's basketball camp

Just being in the presence of Michael Jordan once made NBA great Yao Ming completely forget how to shoot from the free-throw line.

Michael Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest player to ever grace the court, and justifiably so. The former player accumulated a long list of achievements throughout his career, including 6 NBA championships and 5 MVPs.

Needless to say, when you are one of the best players to do ever do it, you will intimidate other people. And it seems Yao Ming knew from firsthand experience that the great Jordan was not an exception at all.

Here is the story of a hilarious incident between the two players that occurred way back in the day.

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Yao Ming embarrassed himself in a shooting competition in the presence of Michael Jordan

Yao Ming first met Michael Jordan at a basketball camp held by the latter. And as anybody would have been, Ming was incredibly nervous at the time, something that exposed itself very soon.

During the camp, His Airness called all of the camp’s participants to a shooting competition. The rules were that if you make five free throws in a row. But, if the participants missed two shots in a row, they would be eliminated.

The award for this drill you ask?

A free, brand new pair of shoes from Michael Jordan’s line, given to them personally by the man himself. So, it would be fair to say that the stakes were sky-high.

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Unfortunately, it seems Yao Ming was swallowed whole by the occasion. He was so nervous in the presence of Jordan, that he seemingly forgot how to shoot. And as a result, after badly missing two free throws in a row, he was eliminated.

Ming of course went on to have an incredible career and was by far one of the most skilled big men fans had ever seen. However, it is refreshing to hear such humanizing stories about one of the greatest ever to play the sport.

 

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Chicago Bulls Houston Rockets Michael Jordan NBA Yao Ming

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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