“I’m sorry brother” Shaquille O’Neal was forced to apologize to Yao Ming after making derogatory remark
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Shaquille O'Neal and Yao Ming
In 2003, Shaquille O’Neal got into trouble for a disrespectful remark he made about Yao Ming, the rookie centre for the Houston Rockets. He had no idea that Yao had looked up to him for years, which is why Shaq’s father insisted that his son provide a sincere apology. When tapes of O’Neal making racially offensive comments to Yao first surfaced during the 2002–03 season, news outlets were all over him. He received criticism for his provocative statements on radio shows and the internet. Shaq, though, openly regretted and later he apologized to people who were offended by his action and explained that it was just a joke.
In NBA history, Shaquille O’Neal ranks among the greatest big men of all time. O’Neal was an absolute force who also possessed amazing speed and quickness and due of this, he became a very difficult player to stop. Trash talking was a side effect of Shaq’s supremacy, but O’Neal seems to have overstepped the mark on one occasion. This time, it was Yao Ming, who was just as domineering as Shaq if his career hadn’t been cut short by injury. Yao and Shaq both entered the Hall of Fame in the same class in 2016, and even today, after retiring, they remain very close.
The legendary careers of Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming
Many people believe that Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant player in the NBA’s 75-year history. Over the course of his 19 seasons in the league, he received several awards, including MVP, Rookie of the Year, and a number of All-NBA and All-Star selections. O’Neal had a significant role in the Lakers’ three championships from 2000 to 2003 in which he was the Finals MVP and the Miami Heat’s championship in 2006, which led to the retirement of O’Neal’s jersey by both the Heat and Lakers. After an incredible career, which ended in 2011, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016 and chosen for the NBA’s 50th and 75th anniversary teams.
In the summer of 2002, Yao Ming signed with the Houston Rockets after guiding his Shanghai Sharks to the Chinese Basketball Association title. The enormous centre, who was already a legend in his own China, was ready to test his skills against the elite basketball players in the world. Yao played in eight NBA seasons, was selected for eight All-Star teams, averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds per game, and was selected five times for the All-NBA team. Additionally, he won three gold medals and three MVP awards at the FIBA Asia Championships. Yao was a cultural and physical phenomenon who transcended the social, political, and economic landscapes of two very different nations.
Also Read: RUMOR: Miami Heat show interest in pursuing former 6x All-Star
O’Neal and his derogatory comments about Yao
Shaquille O’Neal once made fun of Yao Ming by insulting the Chinese language. O’Neal received a lot of backlash for his remarks, which were seen as extremely insulting and derogatory to the Chinese community. When he used the phrase “Tell Yao Ming, “Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,” O’Neal didn’t think he was being disrespectful. Although there was a call for more real action from inside his own family, he made a public apology. In part because Yao used to write letters to Phillip Harrison expressing his appreciation for Shaq, O’Neal said that his stepfather, Harrison, was particularly outraged by his conduct.
Yao, for one, claimed he never considered O’Neal’s statements offensive. He continued by stressing the necessity of bridging the divide between various cultures and sizable populations. In reality, Ming and O’Neal became close friends as during their stint in the NBA, the two engaged in rivalry. Shaq afterwards went on to have a wonderful friendship with Yao Ming. Before departing from the NBA in 2011, Yao remained with the Rockets and Shaq officially left the NBA that year and started working as a TNT analyst.
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Irvin Philip
(701 Articles Published)