Yao was born 9\12\80 so that means he is 22. But how are we sure he is 22? He looks older than that to me, do you think the Chinese goverment could have lied about his age to make him get drafted lower in the draft? I was just wondering if he was realy 22, you know players that play in the MLB are older than they say, Orlando Hernandez of the Yankees could be anywhere from 30-40 years old. I jsut thought of this just a minute ago and wondered what ya'll that about it?
Holy Moses smell the roses .......... Last I checked, Yao is from China, not Puerto Rico or the Dominican Republic. What incentive does China have to lie about his age? To be safe, maybe they should just cut one of Yao's legs in half and count the rings.
LOL... I don't remember when, but remember the conspiracy of Hakeem's age... Saying he was 5 years older than he is.
codell....you mean one of those thick, non atletic, non "cut", non defined legs that the idiot radio host has been reduced to criticizing Yao about? RF 85......Why would China want him drafted lower? Right before "you just thought of it", what were you drinking/smoking?
They thought he was older... and everyone believed it because he looked so old and started saying that the reason he came down so fast, etc..
I would sincerely doubt that his actual age differs from the printed one. There would be no reason to change his age. Baseball is different. The players that lied about their age did it to assur ethemselves of a contract, among other reasons. Yao and China didn't need to falsify his age because he would definitely get a contract regardless. He has been playing in China for years, and has grown substanially in the last few. He wouldn't be 25-30 years old and still growing. It's just my opinion, but it is possible I suppose.
Players like Yao's statue is not easy to manipulate the age. He has been in the spot line at 14. As for Yao looked older than 22, I can give you a reasonable explanation. Yao has started systematic training since he was 12(?) in the Chinese sporting system. That usually makes you look older/more mature than your age group. BTW, I started training at 12, my friends' parents thought I was 30 when I was 17 years old. Now, they still think I'm 30 years old even I'm 40 now.
No Yao is not growing. He just said in a recent interview that he's been the same height since '96. This doesn't mean he can't hit another spurt, I guess... but don't hold your breath. And there's very little chance his stats would've been changed. Shanghai's not exactly some banana republic; it has a very careful and precise bureauracracy. Every birth, death, or even a simple change in job was carefully recorded by the state.
Actually, athelets do lied about their age in China. Chinese youth tournoment system is sort of like the US little league system, where your group teams/players based on their ages. Obviously, you gain an advantage when play with the younger group. That's why athelets often change their birthday to beat the system. In Yao's case, I seriously doubt it since he is a high profile player due to his parents and his unique height. It's not easy to change your age when everyone knows you since you were a child
Frankly, I couldn't care less about Yao's age. So what if, he is 2-3years older than he is. What matters is that he is producing the goods on the day. Besides, in my opinion, age should be such a significant factor in judging people's potential since there are other factors which comes into account such as personality, determination, work ethic, and so forth. In addition, some players develop later than others and some may have longer life-line. Besides I think it is more of jealousy that such rumors are flying about! I remember how people were speculating that Roger Miller, a great Cameroon soccer player, looked that 50years old and that he is older than his registration age. Did it matter? Nope, since he played like 20year old when he was on the field.
if he had another growth spurt, im pretty sure he would have some difficulty adjusting to his new height... im still adjusting to my first growth spurt
Yao Ming has been closely followed since he was a kid. I seriously doubt that he can lie about his age without anybody detecting it.
He could be considered 23 since Chinese tradition counts age begining with the time you're concieved. Chinese tradition also goes by the lunar calendar. Officially, this doesn't mean squat. This is more trivia than anything else...
Yao looks every bit his age, possibly even younger. Its the size of the man that is fooling you. Just look at his face.
Yao looks just like his age, it's easy for a Chinese to get this conclusion. Besides, as his parents were all playing center, Yao went to the eyes of sports teams before his birth, anyone still dout his age?
