It doesn't matter how good or bad yao was. When 3 players were elected as HOF you talked about all three. That is called Respect. When you talked about 2 of 3 players not only you disrespect the player omitted but also a spa to those panel elected yao. Very low class showing of espn
Yao's impact has less to do with actual basketball. He's a worthy HOFer, but in a different category as an inductee.
Great speech- a phenomenal ambassador for Houston. How lucky has the Rockets been to have two of the most humble Superstar players to play the sport?
In watching Yao's speech, I remember him being a lot better speaker. Maybe he doesn't get to practice his English as much now that he's back in China. He seemed to be nervous and hyperventilating a bit, his timing was awkward with the audience. I felt bad for him, it seemed like there was a lot more that he wanted to say but he cut it pretty short.
Yes, he said he's nervous right from the get go. I think he is very aware of the fact that about half the people in the US does not think he belongs, maybe even there in the hall, whether fair or not. As an nba player, he fit in, so he's comfortable. But to be enshrined, he feels the pressure of not being fully supported. You can hear sometimes from the audience the lack of full approval for his accomplishments. (When Shaq mentioned Yao Ming to honor his fellow inductee, the crowd took a second before applauding which seemed reluctant) Yao had written a speech, which he just needed to get it over with, even stuttering in the end. A foreigner tryin to fit in, I think has something to do with not being fully accepted by everyone. He's only survived by the half who approves of him, mostly coaches, teammates and big men. I think that explains his uneasiness (language issue would not be on display if he's comfortable and feels belonged). Towards the end of the speech, he got applauded for "trying" like u would for a kid, but not for owning the hall. Yes tried did he, still congratulations!
Shaq and AI both played longer, won scoring titles, won a MVP, more All Stars and played for more teams (more teams, more fans). Yao got hurt and only got out of the first round once. Shaq is still on TV and some people never get tired of AI's "practice" rant. Id call it more marketing than disrespect, he was mentioned and acknowledged.
Whew. I was looking for something new to be totally OUTRAGED about, and here comes this thread and ESPN and the internet to save the day. On the real, I liked Yao's speech and he's a real credit to the 713 and the org. May he live much longer than his height would suggest.
Unfortunately Yao's legacy will always be a bit tarnished by his injuries. However, what he did for globalizing the NBA into China and Asia will last forever and his HOF induction cements that role into history. As a player, he was probably one of the best shooting really big men of all time. He was smart, unselfish and gave us everything his body would allow. I'm proud he was a Houston Rocket for his entire career and loved that he identifies himself as a Texan and Rocket forever.
If you have 3 hall of farmers and you're the "sports leader" you should probably recognize all 3 but it doesn't really matter. Yao is well deserving as an inductee. He'd be a no brainer on his NBA career if injuries didn't cut it short so there's significant merit on that alone. His international contributions simply make up for the shortened career.
