Comments on: Winderman: Wait five years? Yao could be in Hall of Fame next year.

By: Kurt Helin

Kurt Helin — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:27:43 +0000

Just a reminder, this is the international basketball hall of fame, not an NBA hall of fame (there isn’t one, there should be but there isn’t). So contributions to the international game is part of the equation.

And for the record, when healthy Yao was far above average. For the four years before his injury Yao was the best center on the planet — good defender, good midrange game, very good passer and rebounder. Look at him and Dwight Howard head-to-head, Yao destroyed him.

By: billsfanaddict

billsfanaddict — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:36:16 +0000

The H.O.F. in springfield is for all leagues of porfessional basketball, not just the nba. College does not compare to Shanghi b/c his acoomplishments in the CBA will hold weight w/voters ((if those accomplishments were worthwhile of course)). Euroleague and ABA players are in their …b/c it isnt for the nba specifically, that is a common misconception.
OH, & Yao should absolutely be considered the biggest internationally influential contributor to the organized game of basketball since World B Free & Manute Bol popularized it in africa.
If the HOF was for NBA players only, then probably no hall for him; but that is not the case and if hes not gonna ‘brett favre’ us then i do think he should go in next yr.

By: bcjim

bcjim — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:48:52 +0000

Unqualified.
Next.

By: trbowman

trbowman — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:45:44 +0000

I’m sorry, Yao didn’t have a Hall of Fame career.

By: chargerdillon

chargerdillon — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:48:20 +0000

So Yao is going to become a member of the basketball hall of fame, not because he was truly one of the greatest and belongs, but because he was truly average at basketball but happened to be born 7 feet tall and chinese at the same time.

If the NBA is seriously looking to embarrass itself to every American fan by pandering to the money they’re making from China, then it’s hard for me not to believe everything about the NBA really is fixed.

If the strike wasn’t going to hurt the brand enough. The NBA can decide to spit on the great history of the sport and give somebody who doesn’t belong a free pass all in the name of money money money.

I hope the members of the hall have something to say about it

By: zblott

zblott — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:17:56 +0000

Yao has no business going in as a player, and there are already nearly twice as many non-players as players (yeah, it’s that lame of a HOF), so you might as well get his induction process rolling awhile.