Here is a style of contrast: ( Spur's Post Game Interview): LISA: You guys played a good game against the Spurs. Moochie: Yeah, we'v always played them well... Hang....
The thing that makes Yao's humble attitude stick out like a sore thumb is that humility is a commodity that hasn't been seen much in the NBA since the mid-'80s. Especially from a #1 draft choice. The superstars in the league are almost ALL very arrogant -- that's the game these days. There are exceptions (Tim Duncan and Elton Brand, for instance), but look at the majority: O'Neal, Bryant, T-Mac, Jordan, Patyon, Malone, 'Sheed, Garnett, Iverson... not a humble one in the bunch. In fact, the NBA is full of arrogant little snots who aren't even that great, like Jason Williams, Ricky Davis, etc. Consequently, Yao sometimes come off as pessimistic or timid -- until you give him the ball, that is.
It is not necessary that Yao is the most humble guy in the NBA. He learned those "cliches" from his day in CBA. He must know the Chinese saying :" People are worried about getting famous as pigs are concerned about getting fat".
Guys, We need to understand that Yao Ming is from China. That is a different culture. Being modest and humble are virtues and they are imbeded in the ways of their talks and education. While, in the west, all publicity events are treated as marketing opportunities and handled as such. The Chinese cultures focus on weakness and development, and they will be where Yao Ming place his energy on, face and correct them. This is also one of the biggest difficults I observed in daily works in the US. because so much Chinese engineers produced very high quality of works, but they themselves are so humber about, and they ended up being trashed, and the same time, they are shocked and amazed how some "American" prasied they "poor and normal" qaulity of work without any conservativeness. It is a vivid example of how far apart in people'w way of think between different cultures.
Ditto. I once heard that there was a comparative study about parental expectations for their children in different cultures. Asian: High achievement (Translation: "Don't ever think you've already done enough." American: Self-respect (Translation: "You are the most special person in the world. Don't let anyone make you think otherwise.") Latin American: Happiness (Translation: "Don't worry.")
