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.'

[ewing]

Boy I bet Louis Farrakhan is one happy camper today, and all of that NBA money is probably now a tax write off for Shaq as well..

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[Enterprise]

And let's not forget to mention the thousands of black children in school who are also American and can barely speak English.

[labowski]

Agreed, the only one you left out is travelling. It's nothing but street ball now. Btw, I wouldn't consider Shaq an athelete even, he just happens to be the biggest and tallest. Now, Michael Jordan is/was an athelete, but Shaq, not even close.

[JohnnyZ]

Hopefully O'Neil is smart enough not to try this at a Rockets home game

That damn Treasury Secretary is always mouthing off, what the heck problem does he have with Yao Ming???

;-)

[Enterprise]

"Good ol' Fatty Shaq."

Shaqqa the Hut.

[Guillermo]

I agree with you, and I think it's kind of funny.

This country is wayyyyy too hypersensitive.

[Denver Ditdat]

Sounds like basic trash talk between players on opposing teams, to me.

Yep.

I still don't think a white player talking to a reporter would get away with calling Shaq "Shaq-a-laq-a-ding-dong", though.

[ewing]

Shaq's agent is probably holed up in a hotel room for the next 4 days with no comment after O'Neal turned Muslim in the NY Post today and started dropping racial bombs!

[Recon by Fire]

I remember when Shaq was in 8th Grade, he was a sorry excuse for a b-ball player and I see he has not improved since then.

[Mr. Jeeves]

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

[dirtboy]

Yeah, real enlighted group these Shaq bashers...

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.

What's next? "Nuke The NBA"? Well...It would solve their Shaq problems wouldn't it?

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

[Shermy]

You'd think after his "Sacramento Queens" caper he'd gain a little humility.

[Wrigley]

When did he become Muslim?

[dirtboy]

Tall men don't live that long to begin with.

Tell that to my grandfather, he was 6-3 (quite tall in his day and age) and lived to be 93...

[aristeides]

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

Wasn't somebody criticizing mock Ebonics on this board the other day?

[PISANO]

Shaq's mentor Sky hook Louie must be proud!

[Buckeye Bomber]

Why would you say such a thing? Anyone who automatically assumes any number of people with any particular trait is a racist, no matter what color they are. You obviously have some sense of what a racist is, being one. It's comments like that that make me glad this is a bulletin board for conservatives and not one for everyone. We'd lose all 8 of our minority voters. Good job everyone!

[ewing]

And Farrakhan really has it in for Asians as well, now that Shaq is good buddies with Calypso Louie this all fits together..

[meandog]

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

...so, how exactly is this a racist statement? Sounds more like 'smack' talk to me. Shaq didn't call him a "chink" or "slant-eye" or anything like that, nor did he use the word "fag" ala John Rocker or indicate that the U.S. gunboat diplomacy was good for China during the 1920s the way Trent Lott indicated segregation was good for America. Sorry, but I don't get it...somebody?