Shaq O' Neal Under Fire for Bashing Houston Rockets NBA Player Yao Ming with Racial Slurs

The ESPN Insider and Asian Week Magazine ^ | January 10, 2003 | Chad Ford

[ewing]

Shaq O'Neal may be one of the most well liked figures in the National Basketball Association, but his recent verbal attacks on Houston Rockets 7 foot 6 inch big man Yao Ming from China are starting to raise troubling questions-is Shaq indeed racist?

Some feel Shaq's comments in his escalating war of words with Yao have crossed the line from trash talk to racial slurs.

Asian Week columnist Irwin Tang recently 'called out' O' Neal in public for several racially derogatory comments thrown in Yao's direction.

Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,' O Neal said to a reporter recently in a mock Chinese accent.

When asked this summer how he would greet Yao Ming to the NBA, [who is a rookie this year from the Republic of China] Shaq said he would let his elbows do the talking.

'Street ball,' O'Neal commented on what would be awaiting Yao Ming in the National Basketball Association.

'Playing in the gym, shooting jumpers and all that...that's fine-But I am street.

It is about how to take a blow to the nose and make you think about what I am going to do next time down the court.'

[PianoMan]

ROFLMAO

[PianoMan]

I'll be back to laugh my ass off when the Lakers 4-Peat.

You're entitled, just remember, the whole country's rooting against you. ;)

[Smogger]

Always make your first foul a hard foul? That's the sort of thinking that has destroyed the essential beauty of American basketball -- along with palming, walking, backing in, holding, trashtalking and managers who have no control over their team. Basketball is now, as O'Neal says it is, a street game, played by and for muggers.

Oh gee. A lot of lamenting and whistfullness in this post. Cry me a river. I have been a basketball fan for 20 years, and most playoff caliber teams today would take the teams from the so-called "glory days" apart.

For one thing the players are about 6 to 8 inches taller and a lot more athletic.

[Smogger]

It's only white boys who can be racist. Is that right?

Shaq's not a racist. Just a clown. These comments were made over the summer on a LA morning show. If you heard the comments and the context in which they were spoken you see plainly they were not racist.

[finnman69]

Re: Shaq O' Neal Under Fire...
From newgeezer | 01/10/2003 5:05 PM EST new

Shaq apparently was not listening to his agent who advises Shaq to speak in slow....short..statements, and to use simple short words. When Shaq performs right he gets a [long, yellow, potassium-rich fruit -- which apparently caused some hypersensitive, P.C. nutcase to click the "Report Abuse" link -- deleted]. LOL!

[Pagey]

I'l bet 100% this is on video, and that when he said it, there was no malice in his voice at all. L.A. citizens hear Shaq saying Gobbledy-gook (no pun intended) childish things on a consistent basis.(not lately as the Lakers are in last place) He's a large kid.What's he supposed to say about an Asian he's never faced on the court,yet? People need a stronger skin if they're offended by this comment. Where were all these complainers when the other B-Ball players make blatant racist comments against White Players,like Damon Stoudamire calling out his opponents "Whitey, Cracker" and much more in just the last two weeks? Hmmm?It didn't matter to you then, did it? And if not, why not? I can't wait to read this thread on Monday as I'm leaving to the Desert now.Have a great weekend everyone!

[Smogger]

Another reason I was glad the US got their butts kicked at the World Championships

The US team was hardly the Dream Team since most if not all of the best players NBA declined to play (No Shaq, Kobe, Duncan, Wallace, Jason Kidd, Steve Francis, etc.). Some of the Euros played but for their home countries.

[connectthedots]

Trash talk; nothing more.

[finnman69]

His comments may not be racist but he coverted to Islam and is now buddies with Farrakhan. So perhaps Shaq does have a recent tilt towards Nation of Islam 'tolerance' of non-blacks and non-arabs.

[ErnBatavia]

He's making fun of the fact that Yao Ming is someone who barely speaks english

Er..um...being here in SoKal, we get entirely too much of hearing SHAQ bumble his way through "English Lite".

[GSWarrior]

Maybe he is jealous because Yao will be the starting center for the West in the All-Star game.

[lormand]

"Good for you. "Telling it like it is" and dividing yourself off as "white boy" will surely solve all the nation's racial divisions."

"And man, those African-Americans have it easy. If you actually believe this, ask yourself this question: Aside from any racial dislike you have for them, which is pretty dumb based on how few genetic different there are between the races, would you want to be black?"

How many stupid assumptions can you make in one statement? Obviously you sure are making a butt-load of them here!

How is pointing out the double standards that Black Americans enjoy in America as somehow implying that I have a "racial dislike" for blacks?

Would you like me to start listing all of the institutionalized racism we have in America today which benifits only Black people?

[judgeandjury]

I'll be back to laugh my ass off when the Lakers 4-Peat.

As long as NBA referees continue to NOT call offensive fouls on Shaq, I'm sure that the Lakers will have no problem winning championship after championship.

[BurbankKarl]

glad to see the NBA supporting the Chicoms...

[sharktrager]

Heck, I'm in Ft. Worth and I can tell you we don't give a damn about anything said to anyone on the Rockets.

[Smogger]

I played hoops for thirty years. Shaq would be riding the pine with two fouls four minutes into the first quarter if the refs didn't forget how to blow their whistles every time he plowed into a defender trying to hold position. The NBA trashed basketball with their failure to call palming, travelling and offensive fouls - but basketball is more resilient than the NBA, as witnessed by the fact that international teams strong on fundamentals now routinely whip teams of NBA players and that international players are now a major source of talent for the NBA - and arrive ready to play, as opposed to most punks coming in with a couple years of college and poor fundamentals.

Larry Brown, no shrinking violet, was effuse in his praise for Ming when the Rockets whumped the Sixers. Ming doesn't need a special set of rules to score in the NBA. He just plays a calm game that nets a shooting percentage over sixty percent. Eat your heart out, Iverson.

Boohoo! The NBA is not what it used to be! Guys lack fundamentals. *Sniff* Shaq commits offensive fouls on every play! *whah!*

You and Vlade Divac think alike. Did you fall down on every play when you played defense (for 30 years) too? Comeon? Just to exaggerate the contact? I bet you did. Shaq gets as much punishment as he dishes out. What would you do in a game a street ball with no officials? Cry foul?

Geesh. Haters are everywhere.

BTW: Even though he missed the first 12 games or so of the season Shaq leads the league in field goal percentage (58%). Your boy Yao is number 2.

[sharktrager]

re. The Mavs.

Great record. Unfortunately they have something like 24 consecutive losses to the Lakers. That's a long time to go without beating someone. It's also indicative of what we can expect from them in the playoffs. Especially after blowing a 30+ point lead to the Lakers last month.

[Smogger]

Who cares!!! Baseball and bowling are the only real sports left anyway

HAHAHAH! Baseball and bowling?!?! HAHAHAHA!! You forgot to mention watching the grass grow.

[judgeandjury]

I have been a basketball fan for 20 years, and most playoff caliber teams today would take the teams from the so-called "glory days" apart.

But which rules would you use? Today's "rules" in which players can get away with just about everything, including double-dribbling, palming, uncalled offensive fouls, holding, unsportsmanlike conduct, etc., or the rules that were in place and ENFORCED 20 years ago?

[Smogger]

Well, those 'soft-assed' white boys are 29 and 5.

Hmmmm.. I think that they are a bunch of soft-assed white boys myself. Which part of that is racsist? The part where they are soft, or the part where they are white?