Now, Hayes’ jersey will hang in the rafters forever, joining former Rockets players Clyde Drexler, Moses Malone, Calvin Murphy, Hakeem Olajuwon, Rudy Tomjanovich and Yao Ming. “Receiving this tonight is probably one of the greatest honors,” Hayes said. “I have received many honors in the game of basketball. But this one is really super great because of the fact that it is in Houston where everything began for me at the University of Houston, and then going to San Diego and then becoming a part of the Houston Rockets again. It is just really a great honor and a great opportunity for me to be able to have this night now.”
Yao Ming Rumors
All NBA Players
#0
Yao Ming
Position: -
Born: 09/12/80
Height: 7-5 / 2.26
Weight:296 lbs. / 134.3 kg.
Earnings: $93,390,336 ($133,212,005*)
Born: 09/12/80
Height: 7-5 / 2.26
Weight:296 lbs. / 134.3 kg.
Earnings: $93,390,336 ($133,212,005*)
In particular, Wembanyama’s ability to shoot on the move for a player of his size is something we just haven’t seen before. Porziņģis is an awesome set shooter with crazy range, but he’s not throwing dribbles ten feet in front of himself so he can catch up to it on the move and launch into a feathery fadeaway. Yao Ming was even bigger, much stronger, and an awesome foul shooter, but he was strictly a set shooter once he got past 15 feet. You have to get down to Nowitzki’s size – a mere 7-footer – to find a real comparison. Between the size and length and the off-the-charts skill level, calling Wembanyama a generational prospect feels somewhat like calling fire an important discovery; while true, it still comes across as a massive understatement. One can argue there hasn’t been a player who felt this “can’t miss” this young since Lew Alcindor. Look, I scouted Porziņģis and Luka Dončić in Spain, saw Greg Oden play in the Final 4, and watched John Wall fly past overmatched opponents at the Hoop Summit. None of them had observers slobbering and guffawing like this; not even close.
David Hardisty: Rockets officially announce they will retire Elvin Hayes jersey #44 this year. Hayes wore #11 and #44 with the Rockets. Yao Ming, however, had his #11 jersey retired.
Speaking to the media, Lin reflected on the life lessons he’s learned through basketball and how he hopes to see youth learn those lessons and break barriers. “It taught me communication, leadership, teamwork, resilience, perseverance, confidence,” he said. ” Lin added that he grew up in a world where being an Asian actor or athlete was “outside the realm of possibility.” He hopes that future Asian athletes will have a chance to be themselves in their fields and not be compared to the handful of predecessors before them — like himself or NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming.
Tracy McGrady on Jeff Van Gundy and Yao Ming: It was great. I label Jeff (Van Gundy) as the best coach I played for because of the preparation. I’ve never been so prepared for games with the information that I received. Doc (Rivers) was great as well. Doc was a heck of a motivator. Doc’s pregame speeches would have you ready to run through the walls. Jeff, the information he gave to his players for each game and the accountability that was put on Me and Yao to inspire and do more for my team, I never had anyone put that type of responsibility on Me like that. It helped me grow as a player and leader. Playing with Yao (Ming) was special. To see someone of his size and skill set every day and how hard he worked, “wow.” I marveled at his work ethic and his skillset.
“I wonder what would have happened to Dream’s game if he’d have started shooting 3s,” Petersen said. “I think he would have been a good 3-point shooter. He was such an excellent midrange jump shooter.” After Olajuwon retired, some of the league’s biggest stars sought him out, looking to refine their games and learn some of his tricks in the post. His most famous students include LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Yao Ming and Amar’e Stoudemire.
Yao Ming recently invited Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter Freedom to China in an attempt to change the latter’s tune about the Asian powerhouse. Freedom, who has been a vocal critic of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, did not waste much time responding to the former Houston Rockets center’s offer. Enes Kanter: Just yesterday, I saw on the news that former NBA player Yao Ming invited me to China. I want to be very clear. I have nothing against Chinese people. My problem is with the cultish Chinese Communist Party and the brutal dictator, Xi Jinping. Well, I wanna say thank you for your kind offer. And yes, I accept your invite. I will like to come to China this summer and see everything with my own eyes. But on this trip, will we be able to visit the Uyghur slave labor camps? Or visit the innocent women being tortured, raped, and abused?
