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.'

[marshmallow]

Shaq's words do not amount to racism but those who point out that something similar could not be said to a black man are also correct. There is a double standard. The huge furor which greeted Trent Lott's remarks is a good example.

From the purely sporting angle, watching Shaq play is a bit like watching a wrecking ball in action and about as interesting. Effective but not edifying.

[Thebaddog]

If a white boy said those words, he would be tagged as a racist. I understand the nature of his sentiments, but the words are there. I'm pointing to the double standard where brothers like Chis Rock can use the n-word like confetti in a movie I saw last night and any other person would be tagged as a racist in the same situation.

Double standard.

[Smogger]

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

hehehe.. I know that's what makes it soooo sweet. :-)

-- Signing off from the REAL capital of California.

[AmericanInTokyo]

That's OK. With a lot of Americans, its the same. Taiwan? China? No difference. Korea? Japan? No difference. North Korea? South Korea? No Difference. Can't tell the difference. All mixed together.

That's clear in the slur by the guy, with this "ah so" business at the end of it. That is only said by JAPANESE.

He can't even tell the difference. What a dolt.

[The South Park Republican]

Welcome to FR. Now, start making sense...

Ugh...I guess I'll have to get used to doing this...

I've been a member for quite a while. Counting lurking, almost 3 years. I just changed my name because I finially found a description that fits me. (And on this subject, holding someone's sign-up date against them is something I've never done...Except for the obvious DUhhh distruptors, that is. Why do so many people do it? Is it some kind of "Makes me feel like a big man" thing?)

As for "Making sense". Many of these Shaq bashers remind me of the Nuke Mecca crowd. Out of control short sighted morons.

Now...As for your comments on the game, I'll take your word for it...Basketball is one of the few sports I've never played. No real interest. But I do know the game has changed. Like everything else. And I've got to believe that if the rules were turned back 40 years Shaq would adjust and be as dominant as he is today. Well...Unless he was forced to shoot more free throws, that is...

[Smogger]

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

Er.. What double standard do I exactly enjoy? I can be a racist with impunity? Is that it..? I didn't really understand your first post (prolly cause it didn't make much sense)

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

Yeah man. Start listing all of the institutionalized racism where it benefits only Black people. And to think I have been missing out on all of these benefits...hmmmm

[Smogger]

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?

Um all of those are in the rulebook today (and enforced). The rule that is probably the least enforced you forgot to mention: Traveling.

[newgeezer]

Um, I think some clarification is in order.

1. Your post does not make it clear which words were mine, and which were yours. For the record, only the italicized words were mine. The rest were yours.
2. It is customarily improper to post FReepmail content without consent. (If I'd really wanted that posted here, I would've done it myself. The fact that your #35 had been deleted caused me to take it to FReepmail.)

No hard feelings, though. Have a great weekend.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Ming is doing just fine. Because there are two types of rookies nowadays in the NBA - guys like Ming, who has spent a lot of time in international ball and have a solid grasp of fundamentals, and guys with two years of college ball whose idea of offense consists of either going for the dunk or going one-on-one and throwing up a brick, and have no idea how to pass, box out, play defense or set a pick.

How true! This showboating and taunting crap has been seeping down into the college and even high school levels -- something I used to see when I was a sportswriter.

Few of these kids really know the fundamentals, but they all know how to dunk on an opponent, trash talk and fling the ball from half court. They know how to precisely imitate the slick moves and preening glides that the pros make when they go back downcourt after a shot, but they don't know how to score a simple basket.

[Smogger]

Shaq's words do not amount to racism but those who point out that something similar could not be said to a black man are also correct. There is a double standard. The huge furor which greeted Trent Lott's remarks is a good example.

Describe something similar that could be said to a black man since blacks in the US speak ENGLISH. Shaq was parodying Chinese because presumably he doesn't no a word of Chinese.

Something similar would be if I didn't speak Spanish (which I don't) and I tried to speak it to a native Spanish speaker (which I have) and it came out like: Como se llama tu taco por que quesadillia?

To which they would reply by laughing their ass off at me. Which is all that should have happend here.

[kinghorse]

The refs have already been bowing to Yao (bad pun) and showing him the respect generally reserved for multi year superstars because his game is so smooth and complete. I imagine Shaq will be on the receiving end of some offensive fouls as a result of this. And it would about freakin time.

[kinghorse]

Shaq is just another big fat baby huey Kevin Duckworth if he doesn't get that offensive charge move.

[Smogger]

If a white boy said those words, he would be tagged as a racist. I understand the nature of his sentiments, but the words are there. I'm pointing to the double standard where brothers like Chis Rock can use the n-word like confetti in a movie I saw last night and any other person would be tagged as a racist in the same situation.

Double standard.

Cool ass white dudes who actually know, and associate with black people sometimes do use the use the "n" word, which in this case would be nigga not NIGGER, without fear of being tagged racist.

[NYC GOP Chick]

Oh.My.God. That's the funniest thing I've seen all day. :)

[NYC GOP Chick]

"Good ol' Fatty Shaq."

Shaqqa the Hut.

Shaq of sh!t

[Thebaddog]

Name a name. I have never heard the word spoken except by Senator Byrd and brothers in the same vein as Chris Rock. No others.

[NYC GOP Chick]

There is tremendous anti-Asian sentiment in the black community. Remember the Rodney King riots? Few liberals will criticize Shaq.

Or the animosity toward Korean grocers in NYC that Al Sharpton and his arsonists -- both racial and literal -- stoked?

The nadir of David Dinkins's mayorality (and there were so many low points!) was his participation in the protests and boycotts against one of them.

[aruanan]

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

Street? I thought Shaq was a military brat.

[Mr. Mojo]

I'm pretty sure someone has already mentioned Shaq's recent conversion to Islam - Farrakhan's Nation of Islam, actually - on this thread, but just in case .... Here's the link

[aruanan]

aka Red China, Communist China, or just China etc...

PRC