<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">O'Neal Tries a Novel Approach: Big Respect By Greg Sandoval Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, February 20, 2005; Page E07 DENVER, Feb. 19 -- Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal said today that he uses trash-talk to gain a psychological edge over the league's other big men. But there is one player O'Neal doesn't badger: the Houston Rockets' Yao Ming, who is from China. "I found out that he was a respectful young man," said O'Neal before he and the other members of the Eastern Conference all-star team began practice. "I realized that Asian people are different than us Americans. . . . The Asian people have always been about honor and respect, so I respect and honor him." O'Neal and Yao go head-to-head in Sunday's NBA All-Star Game. Two years ago, when O'Neal was still with the Lakers, he ignited a firestorm of protest for making what many Asian groups considered racist comments during an interview. "Tell Yao Ming, 'Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,' " O'Neal told an interviewer in the summer of 2002. O'Neal apologized and called himself an "idiot prankster." Nonetheless, he continued to slam Yao's game in the media. Last season, O'Neal often said that he was the only dominating center in the Western Conference, an apparent slight of the 7-foot-5 Yao. What changed O'Neal's attitude? In an interview last November with The Washington Post, O'Neal said: "One day my father came to Houston before a game we were supposed to play against the Rockets and he said, 'Cut that stuff out.' I said, 'What?' My father said, 'You talkin' all that mess to that man. Do you know that man sent you a Christmas card?' "He handed me the Christmas card. It said, 'Shaq, you're my favorite big man. I want to be like you in a couple of years. I love you.' And after that, I'm like . . . I'm acting like an [expletive] to this dude, trying to break him, trying to punk him before I play him, but it didn't work. You got to respect a man you can't break. "All those other cats, I could break 'em. I could say something in the paper and get them to respond. Once they respond, I got 'em. I used to do that to [Alonzo] Mourning, [Patrick] Ewing. Couldn't do it to Yao. I apologized to him. "So now whenever we play, it's like two warriors going at it."</div> <font color="red">Next time, quote part of the article and provide a link to the story. Thanks. ~Trip</font>
Good article, shows both big men have matured and respect each other. This is what the whole world needs, respect each other.
Woah. Nice article, but Yao's Christmas Card was pretty funny. I love you? Thats a little weird to say to a guy that overly critisizes you. Anyways, its awesome how Yao gets some respect from one of the best centers in the league- so hopefully, it makes him improve some more and get stronger in the paint.
Wow, I suddenly don't hate Shaq as much as I used to. Well it looks like Yao is the only person in the entire NBA that could actually bring Shaq down to Earth. I'm sure we will be seeing even more competitive match-ups against these to in Rockz/Heat games and in the All-Star game that is later today.
Yeah, I remember when he said that Ching-Ching stuff. Great maturity by both sides. Yao Ming is really an honarable person and that's what I like about him. He never has beef with anyone and doesn't trash talk or anything like that. That's why it was so surprisingly funny when he gave that look to Childress in Atlanta! Anyway, if Shaq can say something like that, than I think it means something.
Shaq rarely dishes out praise directly to someone other than his teammates, so this means something. It's good to see that mature comments were made by both sides and this didn't turn into a war of words. Yao was somewhat the bigger man in this saga.
That was misquoted..yao did send a christmas card , but i dont think yao said i love you. Shaq doesn't deserve to be loved by Yao..Yao's being way too nice to him. I don't think we should care what shaq says anyways..he will always be a joker..and he's rude to everyone
This is what the guys should do, respect and honour instead of criticise and disrespect. Good to see Shaq say this stuff bout Yao. Meh, he actually matured for him to say this. Definitely something he wouldn't have done in the past.
So Yao's not a dominating center - Shaq is on another level from Yao, I think everyone can agree to that. I think Shaq is just saying that Yao isn't there yet, and I don't think he ever will be the kind of guy who will change a game on both ends of the floor.. but a 20/10 big man isn't so bad either.
