Shaq, Yao, Iverson reminisce about each other (0:47) Shaquille O'Neal recalls the first time he faced Yao Ming, getting rejected three times. They faced each other a total of 18 times in NBA games. At 7-feet-6, he was seen as likely to suffer from the usual issues that enormous players face: slow movement, mediocre shooting, and generally relying on pure physicality over the nuances of the game.The big man looked nervous and slow to react. YOU can’t comprehend the enormous size of Yao Ming until you put him next to another NBA giant like Shaquille O’Neal. Yao Ming Vs. Shaquille O’Neal: First Meeting and Friendship. Clearly, he reserved his energy for the court, because Ming matched against Shaq far better than even the best estimations, as In honor of Yao Ming & Shaquille O'Neal's inductions into the HOF, SVP looks back at their 1st ever head-to-head.Shaq’s brutal offense needed adjustments against Ming, who easily blocked O’Neal’s first three shot attempts. He stayed quiet despite the press constantly asking about the upcoming clash.
What better test of a player archetype than matching up with the most famous player in your category? “Tell Yao Ming, ‘Ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh,'” O’Neal Ming didn’t take the bait. JAI BEDNALL .
And he arrived in the NBA at the perfect time. Shaquille O’Neal is used to looking down on people. It was an NBA final hyped event. Former NBA center Yao Ming has a case for being one of the greatest big men in league history.
With O’Neal set the bar for enormous centers capable of bringing more than size and muscle to the game. Shaquille O'Neal is 7'1" and perhaps the most physically imposing player the NBA has ever seen. Ming’s offense was muted — just 10 points compared to Shaq’s 31 — but he Keep in mind, however, this was a different version of Ming. (AP Photo/John Raoux)SHAQUILLE O’Neal has sported countless nicknames in his life, from The Big Daddy and The Big Aristotle to The Big Cactus and The Big Shamrock.The common thread is “Big”, because at 216cm and 147kgs, Shaq is exactly that.Shaq is one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA.His size made him stand out in a league filled with genetic freaks.The photos went some way to putting Ming’s size in context, but he normally makes average-sized humans like Federer and Djokovic look like children.It’s not until you put Ming next to another giant like Shaq that you really comprehend the difference between being “big” and gargantuan.It’s no wonder Ming’s nickname while he was in the league was “The Great Wall of Yao”. YOU can’t comprehend the enormous size of Yao Ming until you put him next to another NBA giant like Shaquille O’Neal. He was also noted for his prickly demeanor toward his competition. Yao Ming, at 7'6", dwarfs him in a photo posted to Shaq's Instagram . It was not a regular-season game anymore. The matchup to a heavyweight title fight, one bigger than media-driven controversy, in his first year, Yao Ming was a 7-foot-5 reality in the NBA. Sitting on the bench, watching a hyped-up new center Unfortunately, Shaq took it further than he should have. Shaquille O’Neal and Ming’s fates immediately intertwined when the latter entered the NBA.
"The meeting between Shaq and Yao Ming next Friday (in Houston ) is going to be an interesting one, anyway, so it should bring a lot of interest to the game.'' Beijing, 10:30 in the morning, the whole country of China was watching Yao Ming versus Shaquille O’Neal. Yao Ming makes Shaq look small in amazing photograph. Former NBA center Yao Ming has a case for being one of the Initial expectations around Ming in the NBA were fairly low-key. O’Neal improved as the game went on, getting craftier about opening up space against Ming’s immense agility. Head-to-Head: Games Played Between Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal This is the detail of NBA games in which Yao Ming and Shaquille O'Neal played against each other, including head-to-head record, stats average, game highs and game-by-game data both in the Regular Season and Playoffs. He hadn’t quite become the accomplished shooter © Copyright 2020 Endgame360 Inc. All Rights Reserved. He publicly challenged Ming by laying out racially-charged bait.