There has been a little pushback this week from people suggesting Yao Ming doesn’t have the credentials to be in the Hall of Fame.
Those people are wrong.
Putting aside his global impact on the game — maybe only Michael Jordan did more to spread the NBA overseas — Yao Ming the player was incredible. For a guy 7'6" he had a very soft touch on his shots, he had a midrange game (and knocked down his free throws), he was an incredible passer with a high IQ, and he was a fantastic rim protector. He was one of the best players in the NBA in his era in the NBA, a five-time All-NBA player, and eight-time All-Star. Go read Kelly Dwyer’s great piece on this at Ball Don’t Lie.
I’ll put it this way: Someday there should be an NBA-only Hall of Fame, and Yao Ming should be in that, too.
Check out his career greatest hits tape, via the folks at NBA.com.
