The guy didn't win an MVP. Didn't make 1st team all nba. Didn't get past the second round. Why not retire Barkley's number? I guess Harden's number is guaranteed to be retired. He has accomplished more than yao.
Yao made 8 All-star teams with the Rockets, only Hakeem has more. Every player that has played with one team his career and that made the HOF has had their number retired by that team.
Exactly. Why bring up Barkley. He played for three teams, with the Rockets the shortest. Yao spent his entire career with the Rockets and was in the ASG every year he's healthy enough to play. Retirement of a number is not about NBA accomplishment but about how much the guy contribute to the team that retires him.
Just watched video of Tim Duncan's number retirement ceremony, and hope the one for Yao at Toyota Center will be as classy. Maybe many of the newest Rocket fans just don't appreciate what Yao brought the the game and to our Houston Rockets team. He most certainly deserves the highest team accolades (already a HOF) and hope to have a special retirement ceremony. Honestly if all we hear from is Juwan Howard I am already disappointed. I hope we hear from his NBA coaches, and really hope Battier, McGrady, Francis (if available) are there, maybe even his first year interpreter. (if you have not watched the movie "The Year of Yao" it is worth your time). So much admiration for his play, and he wanted to play through his injuries. He had the heart of A Houston Rocket.
All 8 times voted in by chinese fans. He was voted as all star starter despite playing 5 games one season (averages 10 points 5 rebs; didn't play entire season before that too). 13,5ppg 8,8Reb his rookie season - voted all star starter (Clint Capela is averaging 11.8pp 8reb this season, is he gonna be all star starter this season? Julius Randle 13 and 8.7. Valanciunas 12,4 and 9,6. Neither of them gonna be anywhere close making all star team, guess why). Yao Ming's continued selection to West starters was yearly reminder NBA is a business largely targeted at chinese market (just look at the chinese new year as retirement date). Not much has changed since. If Jeremy Lin was not american, but chinese, he'd be voted in as East starter over John Wall every season. I'm not saying chinese shouldnt be allowed to vote, I'm saying fans in general shouldn't, because that's idiotic. I have nothing against retiring Yao's number, based on other teams, they have retired number of players who achieved less in the NBA than Yao. Being in HoF for international success does matter, I just wish teams would value NBA achievements more. BTW, Yao was putting stats internationally, but he never won anything outside from Asia championship (which is not that hard to do, since there's not much of a competition in that region). Never won medal in Olympics or World Cup.
Really hope all his coaches are there (Rudy T, JVG, and Adelman), and the majority of his key teammates (Francis, Mobley, Mooche, Ryan Bowen (LOL), TMac, Battier, Chuck Wagon, Scola (if cut by BKN)) Too many key teammates to list
We all understand the Chinese voting effect. Still, Yao was still definitely the best or second best center in the West for almost all of those All-Star selections by the way they defined positions back then (had to pick a center, Jamaal Magloire was an All-Star one year. JAMAAL MAGLOIRE). I think later years All-Star selections for Kobe is much worse than any All-Star selections of Yao.
Yao consistently won the US voting as well, not that it matters. He was a great great person, a hall of fame talent when healthy, a wonderful ambassador of the NBA, and a proud Houstonian and Rocket for life. It's very confusing why people first had an issue with his Hall of Fame induction, but now don't even understand his number retirement. He deserves both.
And Jeremy Lin has made the all star team how many times? His Asian background definitely puts him over the top for all these post-career accolades. But so does his unmatched dedication, coachability, popularity among teammates and anyone else he interacted with, basketball IQ, shooting touch for a big man, you could go on and on. It was a huge test to be the first Asian with high expectations to be an honorable representative for his team, city, and country. But from the time that he was picked #1 overall, he met and surpassed those expectations. You could argue that the only other man to enter the NBA with more expectations and fulfilled them was Lebron.
I wasn't a huge Yao fan, but his HOF and number retirement don't bother me. The Vernon disrespect already started when Yao was first given 11. Yao is the better player though.
@Clutch LOF ALERT LOF ALERT Jeremy Lin can't be an all star starter when he's not even a starter half the season on every team he's played for DESTROY LOF ALL TIL THERE ARE NONE Yao Ming and Lin have NOTHING in common, One is a Hall of Famer and is not even close
