Free Republic

Outspoken NBA star and activist Enes Kanter Freedom has not been shy about his dislike of the communist government of China. Last week, Freedom tweeted his belief that the “Chinese Communist Party does not represent the Olympic core values of excellence, of respect, of friendship,” and therefore countries like the United States should boycott the 2022 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Beijing, China.The International @Olympics Committee is in bed with the Chinese Government. They are complicit and echo the Cultish Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda.#NoBeijing2022 pic.twitter.com/DLkTN08aPT— Enes Kanter FREEDOM (@EnesFreedom) January 12, 2022A few days later the China state-affiliated...

The Houston Rockets' general manager on Sunday apologized for a tweet expressing support for Hong Kong protesters that has sparked a harsh backlash from China's official basketball association. "I did not intend my tweet to cause any offense to Rockets fans and friends of mine in China," Daryl Morey tweeted on Sunday. "I have had a lot of opportunity since that tweet to hear and consider other perspectives." On Friday, Morey took to Twitter to show solidarity with a months-long anti-government protest in the Chinese territory. He sent a tweet that read: "Fight for Freedom. Stand with Hong Kong." It...

The Los Angeles Clippers are not yet for sale, but two former NBA All-Stars are among the various parties assembling ownership groups to potentially buy the franchise, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. Once competitors on the court, Grant Hill and Yao Ming now will be among those vying to purchase the Clippers. Sources told ESPN.com on Friday that Grant Hill and Yao Ming are working separately to line up investors to lodge bids for the Clippers when the team is ultimately made available. Donald Sterling has agreed to allow his wife, Shelly, to negotiate a sale of...

BEIJING – On his way out of the game, Yao Ming thrust his fist through the air, and soon made that long, wobbly walk to the Chinese bench. The end of a brilliant and historic night for basketball, the end of responsibility for Yao. His work is done. Let him rest. “The game was a treasure,” Yao said, “and it will be a treasure for the rest of my life.” Here was a surreal sight on Sunday night in these Olympic Games. Here was the embodiment of Yao Ming’s legacy: His heart, his determination, his immensity. He made possible a...

Even if Yao Ming had never donated a single jiao to the earthquake effort, the resentment that Chinese people have had for him is largely unjustified. First, it was not China that elevated Yao Ming to his current stardom in the United States. It was his own ’blood and sweat’ that made him into a star. If anything, China has created problems for Yao Ming’s career including a host of CBA regulatory obstacles. Second, Yao Ming has done much more for his country than many Chinese people care to admit or perhaps even know about. He has been involved in...

Yao Ming weds basketball beauty SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China's most eligible bachelor, basketball sensation Yao Ming, married his long-term girlfriend Ye Li at a jealously guarded private ceremony at a luxury hotel in their hometown Shanghai on Monday. The 7ft 6in (2.26-metre) Houston Rockets centre and his 6ft 2in (1.90m) bride tied the knot after a seven-year relationship at a Chinese-style ceremony at the Shangri-La Hotel in Shanghai's financial district. The three-hour ceremony was attended by more than 70 family members, said a statement released on behalf of the couple. Dozens of security guards patrolled the hotel, across the river...

DALLAS (May 2) - The NBA fined Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy $100,000 - the largest amount ever for a coach - on Monday, a day after he accused officials of targeting center Yao Ming this postseason and said Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is to blame. While Van Gundy laughed off the penalty and Yao offered to pick up half the tab, the matter jumped to another, far more serious level. Commissioner David Stern called the fine "an intermediary step," adding that an investigation will continue once the Rockets finish their playoff run. He said further punishment is...

Houston Rockets All-Star Yao Ming is the new global spokesman for McDonald's, which let Kobe Bryant's contract expire after he was accused of rape. Yao's multiyear sponsorship deal was announced today at a McDonald's outlet inside the Los Angeles Convention Center. Yao is in town to play in Sunday's NBA All-Star game. Bryant's three-year deal with the fast-food company expired Dec. 31. The Los Angeles Lakers guard has lost other sponsors since being charged with sexual assault. "We had a long, mutually beneficial partnership with Kobe," said Larry Light, McDonald's global chief marketing officer. "His contract expired and we mutually...

BEIJING - Basketball star Yao Ming is suing Coca-Cola's Chinese subsidiary in an effort to stop it from using his picture on commemorative bottles sold in his hometown of Shanghai. According to Yao's Web site, he's seeking compensation of only 1 yuan (12 cents) for "spiritual and economic losses" and also wants Coca-Cola China to apologize in the Chinese media. The lawsuit was filed Friday in Shanghai, where a court will decide this week whether to accept it, the Houston center's agent, Erik Zhang, said Monday. "The only purpose of this lawsuit is to protect Yao Ming's legal rights, his...

For the last three months, the education of Yao Ming has included chalk talks and film study, footwork drills and shooting instruction. There is no diagram, however, to explain Shaquille O’Neal. ... Through it all, O’Neal has watched with a jaded eye. Earlier this week, he said, “I don’t feel I have to outscore him and outdo him to solidify my position in this game. Everyone knows who I am. In America, in China, in Africa, they all know who I am.”

In his most recent racial taunt of Yao Ming, Shaquille O’Neal told a reporter, “Tell Yao Ming, ‘ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.’” No, the superstar center of the L.A. Lakers was not trying to speak Chinese. Shaq was, in a most derisive tone, aiming a racist barb at the rookie center for the Houston Rockets. Ironically, just days before this racial taunt was aired nationally, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) had honored O’Neal with their Young Leaders Award. We can only hope that the NAACP had no knowledge of Shaq’s earlier racial taunt of Yao Ming and L.A. Clippers...

An Agence France Presse photo in the Houston Chronicle's early Thursday editions showed basketball player Yao Ming near a Mao-era poster in CNN's Beijing offices. The poster message: "Unite people of the whole world! Down with the American imperialists! Down with the Soviet revisionists!"The Chron's Dan Cunningham says: "We looked at all of the photos that were available to us from the various wire services, and we decided this was the best photo to illustrate one of the biggest news events of the year. Late (Wednesday) night, one of our staff members who is Chinese raised concerns about the content...

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...

The NBA draft on TNT now....Houston Rocket's first pick was 7'5" Yao Ming. Commentators said that the athletes in China are owned by the state and that Yao could play here if he gives the Chinese government half of his salary.