He is slated to wear #11. Wasn't that the number of Mad Max? Chinese are very superstitious. I wonder why he would pick 11?
I thought he might be #13 or #15. Didn't he wear a #15 when he was playing with Vince Carter in China recently? As long as he isn't given #34, it's all good....
http://www.speakernetnews.com/post/chinatips.html As long as he isn't given #34, it's all good.... [/B][/QUOTE] In many of the Asian countries the number four denotes death and should be totally avoided, including products packaged in fours. If possible, avoid the number nine as it has connotations of suffering. Seven and eight are considered lucky numbers.
All Asian people is superstitious. I myself am too. I don't wear green hats. Green hats are a sign of infidelity and will lead to death
Really? I feel pretty confident that I could find one who is not. In any case, couldn't he pick a number that has no basis at all in numerology? Could he be a Mad Max fan? Or, maybe he wants to say he's #1 (twice)? Was he born on the 11th or maybe his father wore #11? Maybe he envisions a team of odd numbers: PG #3, SG #5, SF #7, PF #9 and Center #11 (will have to get Rice and Taylor to change their numbers)?
Green hats also look silly and only golfers and drunk leprechauns and Marines can get away with wearing them. Has anyone yet asked our boy Yao if the number has any significance? Windandsea, my Asian brother (or sister?!?), where are you? Have any idea?
"Green hats are a sign of infidelity and will lead to death" In chinese, " green hat" is a sign of wife's infidelity, only leads to shame. BTW , 11 is a good number. 14 is really bad.
Yao Ming said to the reporters, exactly, "11 stands for two straight roads, going smoothly". That's what he thought, not a tradtional lucky number for Chineses. By symbol of 11, He just wish his career in NBA will go smoothlly. We all hope so.
#15 isnt taken though. players usually like to keep there numbers. i guess if he wants 11 he could have that too.
Why blam Yao is superstitious? Please give more understand and sympathy to Yao. Yeh, a lot of Chineses are superstitious. But do you think other nations including Americans are not superstitious? If they are not, how many playeres (in NBA, baseball games, etc.) with jersy #13 in America could you list? But #13 and black Friday are not bad lucky number and day for most of Chinese, esp. for these knew less western culture. Superstition exist in nearly every person. Otherwise, why there are the word "omnious". When players select their jersey number, they express their meaning. One former famous soccer player ( I can't spell his name in English) always weared the jersey with #10 wherever club he went. He thought that brings him good luck and that one realy gave him several world championship titles. Some players are likely to have the numbers of the their model players. It's glad to see Yao didn't select the numbers that famous NBA players have. So definitely, he want to run his own way. To our delight, he has such great ambition. Yao's jersey number was 12 when he's in Shanhai Shark. With which he got the Championship title of CBA, so that number should be a lucky number for him. But he give it up. Why? No any report both in Chinese and English. I guess he hates his former boss robbed him more 10 millions from his own salary, and even a lot of committement and obiligation lasted for his whole pro career. Of course, at present he can't say any word about it in public. But with changing his jersey number, definitely he implies his anger. It's interesting to find that Yao's jersey number in China national team changed just a couple of dayes ago from 13 into 15. Surely Yao didn't like #13 but the officers of China national team didn't give the number he wanted. The officers forced to change their mind by seeing Rocket gave the number Yao selected, and Yao is an irreplaceble players right now. But they didn't offer #11, which maybe want to show some difference from Rocket. However, the #15 is the number of Wang ZhiZhi. By this way, CBA showed more importance of Yao than Wang, or angry of Wang's absence. By expressing the #11 meaning smooth ways, Yao showed his worry that his career in Rocket would not be way smoothly rocket lanuch into championship, instead would be a rocky way. Surely he expected his future at first would be struggle with language, communication, cultures, games, etc. He wish his way would be smooth. Why some guyes blame he's superstition? Can you image how much press he already and will face. Billons of people watched his every words and ever steps because he's NO.1 draft pickup. A lot of players in NBA want to dunk over him though he don't like to dunk anybody as he think it's a not good way to play basketball. See, he's so gentle, kind, good boy. Traditionaly, a Chinese expressing smooth wish may choose the number with the end of 6, like 6, 16, 66, 666. But Yao selects #11. So that's a little special. We are very glad to see Rocket show their nice to yao by respecting his choice (Les hasn't spent a penny for this but got a great reward). Just as Rudy said, not How Yao will fit into team, but the team will fit the talent. I'm sure #11 would became a fashion if, hopely, Yao succeds in NBA.
He wore #11 when he played for the Sharks or the National team I can't temeber which one (for the other team he was #13). I doesn't matter to me whatever works for him. His jesey comes out Aug. 15 and is gonna have his whole name on the back as well.
