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The Tao of Yao
by Oliver Chin
Jeff Van Gundy had been a poster boy for NBA burnout. The protege of Pat Riley,
he assumed the helm of the New York Knicks in 1995, only to suddenly resign in
2001. At the time, Van Gundy was relieved to escape basketball's pressure cooker:
"I'm going to step back and exhale for the first time in 13 years." However, scarcely
two years later he has returned to coach the Houston Rockets. Asked what drew
him out of retirement and back onto the court, Van Gundy simply replied: "the
biggest plus about Houston was that every day that Yao Ming wakes up, he's 7-5."
Certainly Yao Ming had changed many minds over the past year. Coming from China,
he was the first international player to be the NBA's #1 draft pick. But facing
enormous expectations on both sides of the Pacific, Yao cautioned supporters and
skeptics, "Respect is something you earn, not something someone gives to you."
Soon thereafter Yao won over teammates and opponents alike with his down-to-earth
personality as much as his dependable performance. In awe, ESPN The Magazine remarked
that Yao's refreshing attitude "blows through the NBA like a blast of fresh air
into a collapsed mine shaft." Perhaps this was because Yao's words and deeds are
rooted in the eternal wisdom of ancient Chinese philosophy.
Credited for founding Taoism two millennia before, Lao Tzu advised, "When you
are content to be simply yourself and don't compare or compete, everybody will
respect you." Second to only the Bible in the number of translations throughout
history, Lao Tzu's book the Tao Te Ching has been spiritual pillar of Asian culture.
Meaning "the Way," the Tao is symbolized by a circle divided into two complimentary
halves, the black Yin and the white Yang. Representing the cycle of life, these
"opposites attract" and show how an individual should live a life in balance.
Coming to America, Yao embodied these principles as he kept an even keel in the
face of an imposing culture clash, "It is hard to pick out the one part that has
been the hardest. I've had ups and downs like the waves of the ocean.'' Turning
the ritual of the media interview on its head, Yao often perplexed the press:
"Sometimes the hardest challenges are easier than the more difficult ones." Reporters
snickered. But as Lao Tzu counseled, "Begin the greatest task in the world, while
it is still small…That is why the Sage alone regards everything as difficult and
in the end finds no difficulty at all." |
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Diehard Yao Ming Fans
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Standing out in the midst of tired sports cliches and scandal,
Yao became the starting center of the NBA's All-Star game and a repeat Sports
Illustrated cover model, reflecting his rising athletic stature worldwide. Surviving
a grueling travel schedule and high profile bouts with Charles Barkley and Shaquille
O'Neal, Yao maintained both his poise and perspective, "I hope I am a good textbook.
It seems to me I am here to do more than play basketball."
Standing on the sidelines as a TV analyst, Van Gundy had agreed, "The guy is what
our league…should be about. Everyone in the game from youth teams on up can learn
a lot from the way he approaches the game with both enthusiasm and humility. He's
a very good player who's come in with more hype than any rookie in a long, long
time. And he's lived up to it and surpassed it because of his unbelievable demeanor."
Back in 1994, the Rocket's had beaten Pat Riley's Knicks in the NBA Finals. That
was as close as then Assistant coach Van Gundy and center Patrick Ewing would
come to bringing home a championship to New York. Now after a bittersweet 17-year
career, Ewing has reunited with Van Gundy as his new assistant coach. For Ewing,
the decision was easy: "Jeff offered me a position, and I thought it was a great
opportunity not only to work with Jeff, but to work with a big guy like Yao Ming."
Becoming a cultural bridge between East and West, a 23 year-old Asian center has
inadvertently revitalized the careers of two old warriors. Now deep in the heart
of Texas, these former Knicks have joined the faithful who believe Yao was right
when he said, "You can't say I've succeeded; I've just started."
Oliver Chin is the author of the forthcoming book The Tao of Yao: Insights from
Basketball's Brightest Big Man.
Click
here to order a copy of his book.
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Yao Ming |
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| Statistics |
Name: Yao Ming
Born: 09/12/1980
Origin: China
Height: 7'5"
Weight: 296lbs.
• His father Yao Zhi Yuan stands 6'7" and his mother Fang Feng Di stands 6'3"
• Became the third Chinese player in NBA history, following Wang Zhizhi and Mengke Bateer
• Yao still has to funnel a substantial chunk of his salary and endorsements back to sports officials in China
• When he first arrived in Houston, Yao was delighted to find Rochester's Big & Tall clothing stores, but he was still too big and tall for their off-the-rack attire
• Hosted a multi-national telethon to raise funds to battle SARS |
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