- Shaquille O’Neal and Yao Ming recently linked up at the Hangzhou Asian Games
- O’Neal states it’s always good to meet his ‘brother’ Yao
- Fans reacted to the viral video
Shaquille O’Neal has headed over to China, and he took the time to meet up with Yao Ming at the Hangzhou Asian Games. O’Neal shared a video of the two linking up on social media, and the clip has since gone viral.
“Always good seeing my brother Yao Ming”
Always good seeing my brother @YaoMing pic.twitter.com/owevz6oWQS
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) September 29, 2023
It’s not often that the 51-year-old has to look up to talk to someone, but Yao, who stands at 7’6″, would make most men seem extremely short. O’Neal and Ming had some incredible battles on the court in the mid-2000s and were two of the premier bigs in the NBA at the time.
Fans Reacted To O’Neal And Ming Linking Up
It was great to see the two link up, and I’m sure they’d have had a good time. NBA fans were happy to see the two icons together here and reacted to the viral clip.
One’s heart warmed upon seeing them meet.
Damn, he lookin' healthy boy, this warms my heart watching you two so many years later.
— ingy (@ingy421) September 30, 2023
A fan says O’Neal finally met someone taller than him.
Finally met someone taller then you 😎
— JAWAD (@jawadvirk19) September 29, 2023
One fan looked back fondly on the time these two battled it out on the court.
Used to love you guys battle it out back in the day
— FRiiiTZ (@erik_fritz) September 29, 2023
A fan hilariously said Kevin Hart needs to be in future videos of the two as a point of reference.
please include Kevin Hart in future videos for reference
— Domain Shane (@ShaneCultra) September 29, 2023
One joked that O’Neal looks like Hart next to Ming.
https://twitter.com/realcolinshen/status/1707903320277561536
While the two get along well, O’Neal had actually gotten into trouble for a comment he had made toward Yao not long after he was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft. Shaq infamously said, “Tell Yao Ming, ‘Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.’”
It was deemed to be racist, and O’Neal revealed he had apologized to Ming in Chinese. Shaq also stated that every time he goes to China, he tries to reach out to Yao, as he seems to have done here.
Shaquille O’Neal Shared His First Impression Of Yao Ming
When Ming came to the NBA, no one was quite sure what to expect. Many were skeptical of how well he’d do, but Yao proved his doubters wrong fairly early on. He played pretty well against Shaq too, and O’Neal shared his first impression of Ming.
“My first impression of Yao was, ‘Who the f**k is this?’ Cuz he came in and I tried to hit him with a smooth finger roll move… block. Next play I tried to hit him with the fadeaway… block. Next time I tried to come up with a dunk… block.
“First guy to block my shot three times in a row. So he’s definitely the first guy I had to like changed how I played against him and he’s also the first guy to get it, turn around, look me right in the face and just shoot right over me. So that’s what I thought of when I first thought of Yao.”
This could have been one of the greatest modern-day big-man rivalries, but it didn’t really last for very long. Yao’s NBA career was cut short by injuries, and he only managed to play eight seasons in the league, during which he averaged 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game.
Ming actually managed to have a 7-6 lead in their head-to-head meetings in the regular season, but their only ever playoff encounter in 2004 saw O’Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers win 4-1.
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