It was June 27, 2002 and the NBA draft was on the way. It was when, for the first time, a player of Asian descent was going to be picked number one overall. Despite the fact that he was projected to be number one, I was glued to my couch, waiting for David Stern to call his name.
That image of him getting high-fives from his family will be ingrained in my mind.
Yao Ming's arrival was met with elation and skepticism. Who can forget the moment Charles Barkley kissed a donkey's ass? He dared that in the event Yao Ming ever scored 19 points, he would kiss Kenny Smith's ass. Since Kenny Smith himself did not want to be kissed by Charles, he bought a donkey, aka an ass, and brought it to the studio so Charles could kiss it, therefore, keeping true to the promise of Charles kissing his ass. This amazing moment couldn't have been sweeter since Charles can be pretty harsh with his words; however, I developed more respect for Charles Barkley for keeping true to his words. He could have said no. But he didn't.
Then, there were also sweet moments where he and Shaquille O'Neal developed a budding rivalry, as they were the most dominant big men. There's a funny story O'Neal later revealed in front of an audience at Yao's Hall of Fame induction ceremony: his pretense of Yao Ming not knowing how to speak English.
Shaq, after Yao made a fadeaway jumper reminiscent of Hakeem Olajuwon, said, "Hey, Yao, nice move."
Yao said, "Thanks, my brother."
Shaq replied, "Wowowo, you speak English?"
"Shaq, you never talk to me? Of course, I speak English."
Those kinds of moments are forever sketched in the minds of many fans, including myself as the kind of moments that make one feel good. There haven't been many athletes that have captivated the world at the time. Yao was like a treasure to the Asian community.
Then, just as the legend of Yao Ming was getting bigger, his career ended due to injuries. I asked myself: will there be another Yao Ming? And, since 2011, no one has been close? There have been more talented big men since then, but none of them have the poise, charisma, and allure of Yao Ming.
So, I can honestly say, "Yao Ming, how I miss thee."