Do you think Yao deserves to be in the hall of fame based on basketball merits?

Borderline, imo. Normally, I would say that someone with 5 all NBAs and 8 all star nods is a certain hall of famer, but in Yao's case some of those awards were pretty weak. His career numbers are low, team results aren't special.

The case on international achievements is also borderline, imo.

I think it's his general contribution to popularity of the sport that pushes him in. Plus he's a very nice person and everyone loves him, that helps too. "Ambassador" of the sport.

 

Walton was MVP and champion as no.1 guy, though. Very high peak. I think Yao's career is more similar to Grant Hill's.

 

Top center on both ends in last decade. We just don't have the right pieces as a team.

 

Cousins has numbers like that a lot.

Don't take that as a diss on Yao (I'm sure ppl will). Just saying the big men are returning to the NBA. Towns will have games like that, too. Davis does with the blocks rather than the assists. Porzingis, etc.

 

Davis and cousins put up big number but their teams don't win. 0 all NBA first teams hurt yaos case.

 

Based on just NBA no, but then again it's not the NBA HoF afterall

I fully believe that he would've made it based on basketball alone if he didn't retire at 29

 

Yao/HOF is the current topic on NBA Radio, and boy, these fools are passionate about Yao's (and Walton's) unworthiness.

It's pretty funny listening to people justify their terrible opinions, because they're usually accompanied by terrible reasons to match. One guy said, "if Yao is a HOF, then Anfernee is." Why? Because dude thinks, "Penny had a 4-6 year stretch where he was the 2nd best player in the league?" Not 2nd best guard, 2nd best player regardless of position.

That's breaking news folks!! For half a decade, Hardaway was better than Shaq, The Mailman, Hakeem, and Duncan!!

Funny, I don't remember it happening though.

 

I called it in my lost even. Someone would take my comment of big men returning to the game as a reason to defend Yao. smh. called it

Let not start this because i love Yoa. Davis and Cousins dint have Tracy MCgrady either and Davis did just as well last year as Yso / Francis did. Why cant we cheer both Yao and the re-emergence of the big man

And btw. Cousins puts up those assigts numbers with 20/10s and 30/10s a lot more than yao did.

 

Don't understand why this even needs to be debated.

Based on his on the court career alone? Of course not. Combine that with the impact he has had on the game? Of course yes.

Luis Scola, Shane Battier, Aaron Brooks all had shoe deals. Plenty of NBA players should be cutting him checks for the extra endorsement money they make from shoe companies in China or with whatever company that does business in the Far East now because Yao's built up a customer base.

 

Voted YES. Yao was shooting technical FTs for the team at one time. No many centers can shoot jumpers and shoot FTs like he does. If he had played without Steve Francis, or Tracy McGrady, his numbers would be higher. All his past coaches would say he is most unselfish guy on the team. Got Yao?!?!?!?

 

Funny statement. Yao's career was ended, arguably, because of his high usage and the resulting stress on his huge frame.

In 2006-2007 he and TMac combined for a crazy 68.5 usage rate (33.5 and 35 respectively).

They had such terrible teams around them that I don't buy any argument that people were stealing Yao's points. Those 2006-2007 teams without Yao-McGrady were D-league caliber.

 

Voted yes. Not even close in my opinion. He did so much to make basketball popular in Asia. He also was a beast in FIBA competition.

 

Racial bias - huge against Yao......

DD

 

You're kidding. Only reason Yao is considered is his ethnicity/nationality. People forget that one of the only reasons Yao's game was so refined was that both his parents were professional bball players in their own right and his country invested in his success. Who was contributing to Iverson's success when he was having to skip high school to watch a baby sibling? No one considers that when talking about how "classy" one is vs the other. Easy to have class when you don't have to worry about necessities growing up.

 

I actually think Iverson was a pretty classy guy. Class isn't what you wear or how you talk. I find it hard to accept that you're making a generalization that just because you grew up poor, you're somehow relegated to not having class or getting a pass for not showing class. Yao grew up in a fully communist regime, where everyone in China was poor. Dude probably lived on fewer dollars per day than minimum wage earners in the US. Sure, the government provided him with 3 square meals, but dude didn't have much else growing up. Yao's a classy guy, because that's who he is. I don't think it would have mattered if he grew up in Queens or Shanghai. Bringing up someone's economic situation and ethnic/cultural background as an argument AGAINST him/her as a person is bulls*** and you know it. In fact, some of the LEAST classy people I've ever met in my life are those who are privileged. The spoiled brats with everything who thinks the world revolves around them...

 

Are you trying to lecture me on thinking poor ppl are not classy? That's the last thing I was saying. My Grandma grew up in a dirt floor log cabin and is classier than any of us. The media and public at large make the comparison between Yao and Iverson all the time. Yao lived under a communist regime - but he had a 2 parent home and was very well off compared to the rural poor in China - to my understanding.

 

The question for many really isn't whether he belongs in the Hall of Fame, it's whether he belongs as a player or as a contributor.


Guidelines For Nomination and Election Into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

ELIGIBILITY
Candidates must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible for Enshrinement into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (hereafter BHOF):

Player: A player must be fully retired for four seasons before being eligible for Enshrinement. He/she may then be considered for Enshrinement in the fifth year of retirement. Should a player come out of retirement for a short period of time, as defined by the BHOF, his/her case and eligibility for Enshrinement shall be reviewed on an individual basis.

Coach: A coach must be either fully retired for four seasons or, if still an active coach, have coached as either a fulltime assistant or head coach on the high school and/or college and/or professional level for a minimum of 25 years. That person will then be considered for Enshrinement in the fifth year of retirement or 26th year of active coaching.

Referee: A referee must be fully retired for four seasons or, if still an active referee, have been an active referee for a minimum of 25 years. That person will then be considered for Enshrinement in the fifth year of retirement or 26th year of refereeing.

Contributor: A person is eligible for Enshrinement as a contributor at any time for significant contributions to the game of basketball. What constitutes a "significant contribution" shall be determined by the BHOF, its Screening Committee(s) or Honors Committee(s).

 

What about tinmac, i mean tmac?

 

It's the basketball hall of fame, not the NBA hall of fame.