After twenty years former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal and Houston Rockets legend Yao Ming had a heartwarming reunion at the Hangzhou Asian Games, in China. O’Neal shared a video on social media capturing their meet-up, which quickly went viral. In his post, O’Neal wrote, “Always good seeing my brother Yao Ming.”
This reunion holds significance due to an incident that took place two decades ago. In 2003 O’Neal faced backlash for making remarks that were considered racist towards Yao Ming during a televised interview. The incident sparked outrage and many threatened him with fines by the NBA unless he addressed the media about it.
Always good seeing my brother @YaoMing pic.twitter.com/owevz6oWQS
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) September 29, 2023
Eventually during a game at Staples Center O’Neal issued an apology saying, “If I offended anybody, I apologize.” He clarified that his comments were meant as a joke and not intended to harm Yao or any member of the Asian community. At the time Yao Ming was in Atlanta and seemed to accept O’Neal’s explanation of misunderstanding cultural differences.
Background and impact of the Shaquille O’Neal controversy
The controversy started more than six months after O’Neal, looking into a cable television camera, allegedly said, “Tell Yao Ming, ‘Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,’” in an apparent mocking of the Chinese language. A column in AsianWeek under the headline “Shaq is a Racist” further sparked the controversy. O’Neal explained that he is an “idiot prankster” who tried to be a comedian to calm the situation at the time.
“To say I’m a racist against Asians is crazy,” O’Neal said. “It’s probably [someone] just trying to start trouble…. I’m an idiot prankster.”
O’Neal added, “I said a joke. It was a 70-30 joke. Seventy percent of people thought it was funny, 30 didn’t. At times I try to be a comedian. Sometimes I say good jokes, sometimes I say bad jokes. If I hurt anybody’s feelings, I apologize.” Despite the apology, the incident led to serious questions about O’Neal, his views, and his associations, including his connection to Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.
Legendary NBA centers, Shaquille O ‘Neal and Yao Ming, reunited at the Asian Games on Sep. 29. While signing the jersey, fans noticed O ‘Neal appeared to sign it “Bryant.” A fan said “hearing the meaning of Mid-Autumn Festival, O ‘Neill must be missing his brother.” pic.twitter.com/pjYW6cYz3a
— allen (@allen16529268) September 30, 2023
The Lakers, at that time, received several phone calls regarding O’Neal’s interview. O’Neal’s agent, Perry Rogers, defended him, saying that Shaq treats everyone equally and has never judged anyone based on race, religion, age, or sex.
The reunion of O’Neal and Yao after 20 years is seen as a positive step, highlighting there are no conflicts from the past and showing the power of understanding and forgiveness in addressing misunderstandings and cultural differences.
