A huge basketball icon, literally and figuratively, will be enshrined to the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. It won't get any bigger than Chinese star Yao Ming.
To help celebrate this honor, Yao's former teammate from the Houston Rockets, Tracy McGrady, took time to write a piece of praise for him. He had nothing but good words for Yao. he started by recalling the time he was traded to the Rockets and how he felt finding out that he'll have a big man in his team as talented as the soon-to-be hall-of-famer:
“When I got traded to the Houston Rockets in 2004 I really didn't know Yao Ming. He'd been in the league a few years, we'd both been to the All-Star Game and we played against each other a few times, but I had never talked to him.”
“I had just won the last two scoring titles with the Orlando Magic, but I was so excited to be playing with a great big man that I knew I was going to have to work with him and feed him the ball. But to do that, we needed communication.”
T-Mac was worried that Yao could not speak English but when he found out he could, McGrady also said that he had a good sense of humor. He also recalled the time he invited Yao to his wedding reception where his friends and family got excited to take photos with him.
“I remember when he came to my wedding reception in 2006. My family and friends were so excited and they all wanted to take pictures and get autographs, and he pretended he couldn't understand them. I just had to sit back and laugh.”
The dynamic duo may have fallen short of their goal during their time in Houston due to different injuries that plagued them, but McGrady saw the work ethic the former first-overall pick of the 2002 draft showed not only in games but also in practice.
“That's why Yao getting into the Hall of Fame is so deserved. His skills for a man his size were just unbelievable. He could do everything. He could post up, score with either hand, shoot a jumper, he had an array of moves. He could block shots. He passed so well and that's so rare for a guy his size.”
“I'd never played with a big man of his caliber. I didn't know he was that skilled before I came to the Rockets, but then I saw it every day in practice, every day before games, after games. He really put in the work to perfect his craft — he even took our technical foul shots because he was that great of a free throw shooter.”
But arguably the biggest reason why Yao will be inducted to the Hall of Fame this year is because of his global impact to the game, especially in China. Basketball is now one of the most popular sports in the country with a population of over one billion people. McGrady had this to say:
“Then there was Yao's impact on the global game. You have to understand, before him, basketball wasn't popular in China. I had made trips there before he came into the league, and there was basketball, but it wasn't a part of the Chinese culture.”
“I saw it. I felt it. That is his legacy. He brought NBA basketball to China and I will forever be thankful that I was able to be a part of it. He introduced the country to Tracy McGrady.”
The current ESPN analyst ended his tribute to Yao by letting everyone know how good a person he is, always humble and kind:
“Yao is truly a great and humble person. You just can't recognize his accomplishments on the court without seeing his kindness and humbleness off it. I am proud to call Yao my friend.”
“He opened so many doors. He personally put me in position to have a life after basketball. I'm so lucky to have had a chance to know him, play with him and to work with him. He has a legacy very few have, and he has been and will continue to be a great influence.”
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