Yao's latest Chinese interview 11/8

well that's a 30 second interval i'll never get back.

 

Ok let me translate.

Wu = The interviewer
Yao = Yao Ming of course

Wu: I've read some of your profile. You didn't like basketball when you were a kid. Because of your height.

Yao: I remember when I started playing basketball, the factor you said (My comments: height? why does one dislike basketball when one IS tall?) is just one of the many reasons. Just like now in China many parents force their child to learn piano, to learn something more, so that they have some extra skills for earning money in the future. But my parents let me play basketball NOT because they wished for me to earn my living through it. Because, compared to learning to play piano or learning to write (as in writing books), playing basketball is too one-dimensional. Because after you get into sports, a lot of things are limited, and to me most of the time it is just like being forced to play piano. But my parents didn't really force me. They just hoped that after I came back from school and finished all the homework, I didn't go out and became wild. So they let me play basketball. It's kinda like opportunity or fate.

Wu: Then when did you begin to like playing basketball?

Yao: Around 18 or 19. I began playing it at 9 years old. It took almost 10 years.

Wu: For you to like it?

Yao: Correct. Because at that time I started breaking through and becoming well known. And began to feel successful. Besides, from playing basketball I realized some philosophy (Tao). Felt that basketball is really a very meaningful game.

Wu: How meaningful?

Yao: Very weird. Just like playing chess, you have certain patterns, you have the chessboard. Basketball also has its "chessboard". And the patterns are tangible (not literally), but you could not grasp the patterns everytime. When you get it, you win. Or else you lose. The patterns for one match may not suite the next match. But there's always a pattern.

Wu: Did you ever thought of becoming "rich and successful" before?

Yao: Yeah used to have many day dreams, just like every teenager. I remember one reporter asked me once: 'When you were a kid did you think you would go to university, get a job, and live your life peacefully?' I asked him instead: 'Your ambition when you were a kid must have been something really great.' I believe everyone had a great ambition when they were a kid. To be the president, a scientist, have an extraordinary career and all. No one wants to have a life just like any other ordinary person. That's why all kids dream of great things. But it is a different matter to actually achieve those dreams.

Wu: Your dream when you were a kid?

Yao: I also had a great ambition, just that I never thought that it would be playing basketball. I've always loved history, geography, and got really good results in those classes. I've always wanted to be an archeologist, to seek for adventure everywhere. But just that it would be very tiring to crawl into small caves.

Wu: Now you still have the opportunity to go everywhere.

Yao: But that's touring not adventuring.
____________________________________________________

Yao is only 23. But from our interview with him, he shows maturity well beyond his age. Yao said this once: 'To the audience, NBA is a kind of enjoyment. But to the players, it is a war without smoke.' Ever since he stepped into NBA, Yao has always endured enormous pressure.
____________________________________________________

Wu: I remember when you began playing in NBA, you were easily knocked over. At the beginning, was the mental pressure particularly heavy?

Yao: Yes. Heavy pressure on my back. I mean pressure from the media back in home country.

Wu: Expectations?

Yao: Expectations. A lot of expectations. The road ahead seemed very dark. I felt the kind of pressure that was really dark and void. I had been to US a few times. But none was like this time where it completely encroaches into my living. To stay there for such a long time, to let this 'matter' (US lifestyle?) be my lifestyle for a rather long time in the future. I didn't know what kind of feeling it would be. It's just like you only see another person driving a car, but you never try it yourself. You know what happens when you turn the steering wheel to the left and to the right. You know which one is the acceleration pedal, which one is the breaking pedal. But when you put your first step on the pedal, you don't really know how much pressing on the pedal will cause the car to suddenly move very fast, crashing onto the wall. Now that's the feeling. But when you step on the pedal the second time, you will already have some idea about it. My first year was probably like that, first time stepping on the pedal.

Wu: You just said that your first year was like stepping on the pedal once, having no prior idea. So now, is it like slowly advancing towards taking the second step? Beginning to have some feel of it?

Yao: Now I'm beginning to know how to preserve some fuel. How

 

thanks for the translation. are there more?

"I've always wanted to be an archeologist, to seek for adventure everywhere. But just that it would be very tiring to crawl into small caves. "
imagine his 7'6 frame is a small cave

 

Thanks for the interview user and thanks for the translation zhaozhilong!

The more you read about Yao the more you have to like him.

 

I like the analogy of the car pedal to his first year in the NBA. How at first everything came at him too fast, and at times he felt he couldn't control it. But now he feels that he knows what the NBA is like, and he can spend more time worrying about other things, like gas...

Well knowing that we didn't even see a 100% Yao last year, makes me wonder what kind of things he will do next year. I hope one of them will remind everyone why he should have been given the Rookie of the Year award.

 

Damn, every time I read an interview with the guy, I like him that much more. He's really intelligent, mature, and has everything in perspective. I hope the Rockets understand how rare a gift like Yao Ming is for a franchise and when it's time for hime to re-sign we blow him away with an offer.

 

barring the "i" word, if they offered yao ming anything less than the max i would seriously consider cheering for another team.

 

duh, I fixed it for you.

 

Thanks, zhaozhilong. Great translation. Just one minor thing: the game is "chess" not "chest." I couldn't stop giggling thinking about Yao playing somebody's chest.

 

That translation was pretty accurate but you forgot a couple of questions. I have transcribed them below.

Wu: Do you think that you're the most dominant center in the game?

Yao: It's not a matter of thinking Wu...I KNOW I'm the best and will one day go down in history as being the best center of all time. I had a decent rookie year, but do you remember me swatting Shaq all over the gym the first time we meant?! Those are just flashes of my brilliance on the court. There will be much more of that to come in the future.


W: How did you feel about Charles Barkley's comment last year about you not being able to score 20 points in a game?

Y: This year I will make CB keep his promise and he WILL kiss MY ass during the first TNT game we play. There will be no barnyard animals allowed.


W: How do you feel about the new Uni's.

Y: Anything is better than the clown suits that we wore last year. I had to justify the uni's to my friends back home everytime I called.


W: How do you feel about the hiring on Patrick Ewing?

Y: I've always appreciated PE, but if he thinks he's going to teach me anything other than how to take a third step without getting a travelling violation, he's got another thing coming. I will dunk on his face the first time he posts me up in training camp!


W: Any predictions this year?

Y: COMPLETE AND TOTAL DOMINATION!




a little friday humor (or lack thereof)
Chris

 

Oops, seems like Mr. Zhao has not complete the translation, still a lot to go.

 

LOL Chris. I can't stop laughing now. Very funny sh*ts. You should get a job at the National Enquirer.

 

the humility...im still stunned. this guy deals with way more adulation and hounding by the press than any player in the states yet still gives thoughtful answers, is not afraid to expose his thoughts a little and be honest. i can think of no player from america witha similar attitude (or people in general for that matter) most chinese i have met (raised in china) have been very similar as far as being centered. what does this say about our culture, how american children are raised and the values they are taught. my sister recently adopted a little girl from china and, honestly, i cringe to think of how she might turn out...not trying to bash america, just something to ponder

 

Yao is most impressive when he is interviewed in his native language. What a joy it is to have such a great guy on the team. His understanding of the game and commitment to excellence is obvious.


I cannot say enough good things about him. His shot form is perfect. He moves better than any guy over 7'2 ever has. His passing is brilliant. He will win championships.

 

two words for you: RALPH. SAMPSON.

 

I believe that the difference is that humility and community is stressed in chinese culture and individuality and even the ego is stressed in american culture.

 

Yao, finally learned how to get some fuel????????

DAng yao, you were in houston, the mexican food always gives me gas

 

I don't consider a guy who weighs 105 pounds to be a big man. he makes Pau Gasol look chubby