Here is an Article from ESPN Insider: Shaquille O'Neal may be one of the most beloved figures in the NBA, but his recent verbal attacks on Chinese big man Yao Ming is starting to raise a troubling question -- is Shaq a racist? Some feel Shaq's recent comments in his escalating war of words with Yao have crossed the line from trash talk to racial slurs. AsianWeek columnist Irwin Tang recently called out O'Neal for several derogatory comments thrown in Yao's direction. "Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.' " O'Neal said to a reporter recently in a mock Chinese accent. When asked this summer how he would greet Yao, Shaq said his elbows would do the talking. "Street," O'Neal said of what is awaiting Yao in the NBA. "Playing in a gym, shooting jumpers and all that ... that's fine. But I'm street. I'm how to take a 'bow to your nose and (make you) think about what I'm going to do next time down." Those aren't the only times Shaq has threatened Yao or mocked him for being Chinese. And Shaq isn't the only one. Charles Barkley has had his fun with Yao. Even the league itself has perpetuated stereotypes, including a recent Miami Heat promotional giveaway of 8,000 fortune cookies. Yao, ever the diplomat, has stayed above the fray. He has joked alongside Barkley, sparred a bit verbally with O'Neal and said he found the fortune cookie promotion amusing, even if the Chinese in China don't actually eat fortune cookies. Insider talked to several people close to O'Neal on Thursday. All of them were emphatic that O'Neal is not a racist. He was trying to be funny, they explained, and would never intentionally degrade someone because of their race. In fact, they were quick to point out, the NAACP recently honored O'Neal with its Young Leaders Award. But even if Shaq was simply trying to be funny, Tang thinks the NBA, and the media, are employing a double standard when it comes to Asians. "Let's not beat around the bush," Tang writes. "If a white player had, for instance, made monkey sounds to taunt a black player, it would have been a national controversy. But Yao is Chinese and Asians are fair game ... "Forgive my bitterness. I grew up in Texas, facing those 'ching-chong' taunts daily while teachers averted their ears. I love basketball, and when Yao was drafted by Houston, I had to suppress my excitement, lest he turn out a complete flop. I went to see the Rockets play the L.A. Clippers on Dec. 12. Yao is a huge young man with huge skills. But he's also a kid in a foreign land. You can tell by the way he carries himself when the ball is not in play. My heart goes out to Yao Ming. Yao Ming is our Asian Jackie Robinson, though he does not face the intensity of animosity Robinson faced. Unfortunately Shaquille O'Neal is the modern-day Ty Cobb, the rough-playing baseball superstar who used the n-word about Robinson." Tang is not the only one ruffled by Shaq's comments. I've received several reader e-mails over the last week about the issue. One long-time Insider reader wrote me Thursday to express his sadness over Shaq's comments: "If this is accurate, it is pretty reprehensible," he wrote. "Too bad Shaq did not attend the World Basketball Championships. He might have found it as culturally enlightening as the rest of us. I will never forget the vigor of the Argentinian crowd after Emanuel Ginobili dunked all over Russia, or the Chinese flag-waving, 4-foot-10 Yao fan at the US-China game. ... At least Allen Iverson has seen the light. Yao is truly, 'A gift from god.' " In a league that has been the model for integration for all ethnic groups, the issue shouldn't just be swept under the rug. Only Shaq knows what his true intentions are. But the thing about racial remarks is that the pain felt by those on the receiving end is very real, even when the intentions are benign. The NBA knows China, and its billion-plus potential fans, deserves better. Ironically, the NBA announced the results of the latest All-Star voting numbers Wednesday, and Yao had widened his lead over Shaq for the starting center position on the Western Conference team. While some look on in dismay -- Brent Musburger reportedly lamented on ABC's Christmas Day broadcast that "the hordes of China" (another veiled slur?) might stuff the All-Star ballot box -- others will see it as a sign of hope. Hope that the borders that still demarcate the game will one day dissolve. Hope that the league will include the fans who follow the NBA faithfully throughout the world. Hope that there will come a day when we embrace players based on their level of skill and the content of their character, and not on the color of their skin.
Aren't two threads on this subject, which are being debated at nauseum, enough already???? Geesh .....
Insider keeps saying "recently." But, much like with the Trent Lott comment, this is something that happened a while back (before Christmas) and is just now getting any notice. No one noticed when Shaq made the comment; they did notice Tang's column. I suppose props to Tang are in order for getting the whole sports world to talk about something they otherwise would have ignored.
JV is right. And that's an important thing to remember. It's ok to talk about our differences. And that's one of the important qualities of comedy.
I agreed wholehearted with Mr. Tang. I grew up hearing those "'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh" crap, they are always done with malicious intent. This is all in fun? Maybe next time when Yao did an interview with a Chinese reporter and start to make monkey sound in Shaq direction, lets see how Shaq, or more importantly, how NAACP will react. By the way, I don't think Shaq is a racist. He wanted to creat rivalry. He is just too stupid to know how to do it the right way.
if he was trying to be funny and he would never intentionally degrade someone because of their race. then why was he using race as part of his joke? unless he enjoys laughing at another race's expense or thinks of the other race as a joke. its ridiculous that people are even asking the question. "Is shaq racist?" of course he is. Now why can't shaq just admit to being prejudiced and acknowledge that what he did was wrong and racially insensitive so people can stop asking this dumba$$ question repeatedly. cause its really annoying hearing all these redundant questions. here's a question: do you think shaq deserves a naacp young leaders award. isn't he supposed to be some sort of role model? comments like the one shaq made are only harmless if he kept it to himself. But he chooses to broadcast it to every media outlet and act like he's innocent of any wrongdoing. what kind of example is he leading? if what he did is not even acknowledged as racial prejudice, it will certainly lead to more racial taunts being directed at asians. why? cause everybody will think there's nothing wrong with disrespecting asians.
As I said in the other thread, the only way to curtail this sort of stupidity is to assess Shaq with a: Big Fine and Long Suspension. That would send the right kind of message to one and all.
This topic is being and has been discussed in a slew of threads on this bbs. Most recently : http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49410 http://bbs.clutchcity.net/php3/showthread.php?s=&threadid=49284
