# Shaq-Yao controversy

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaq-yao-controversy/148272>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 13, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaq-yao-controversy/148272 "2003-01-13T08:35:53Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![asahiJpx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@asahiJpx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahiJpx)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaq-yao-controversy/148272/1 "2003-01-13T08:35:53Z")

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If you haven’t heard about it, or haven’t read the article which is spawning all the talk about this subject, here it is.

**An AsianWeek Column by Irwin Tang:**

> [@](#):
>
> Tell Shaquille O’Neal, “Come down to Chinatown.”
> 
> Call Shaquille O’Neal the Big Racist.
> 
> In his most recent racial taunt of Yao Ming, Shaquille O’Neal told a reporter, “Tell Yao Ming, ‘ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.’” No, the superstar center of the LA Lakers was not trying to speak Chinese. Shaq was, in a most derisive tone, aiming a racist barb at the rookie center for the Houston Rockets…[deleted].

What is your take on the matter?

[deleted majority of fifteen paragraph non-linked article-Czarcasm]

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**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaq-yao-controversy/148272/2 "2003-01-13T08:47:37Z")

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Yao has said that he took it as a joke. Case closed as far as I’m concerned.

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**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\
**Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaq-yao-controversy/148272/3 "2003-01-13T08:53:59Z")

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He is just being diplomatic about the whole issue. This of course doesn’t make what Shag did right or make him any less of an idiot.

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**Author:** ![cger68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@cger68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cger68)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaq-yao-controversy/148272/4 "2003-01-14T00:22:51Z")

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I’ll agree that Shaq’s comment wasn’t very smart or considerate. But I contend to “never attribute to malice what can easily be explained by stupidity.” Not that Shaq is dumb, it was just a dumb thing to do.  
I’m Italian and can’t tell you how many stupid mafia/meatball/Godfather jokes I heard growing up in the midwest and deep south, but other people’s ignorance never got me down, and it doesn’t seem to have upset Yao. Yao handled the comment very well, Shaq apologized, and like \<b\>Silentgoldfish\</b\> said, “case closed.”  
But Shaq is STILL gonna dunk all over Yao next Friday in Houston. 😉

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [January 14, 2003, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaq-yao-controversy/148272/5 "2003-01-14T03:15:06Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by asahiJpx \*  
> \*\*If you haven’t heard about it, or haven’t read the article which is spawning all the talk about this subject, here it is.
> 
> **An AsianWeek Column by Irwin Tang:**
> 
> What is your take on the matter?
> 
> [deleted majority of fifteen paragraph non-linked article-Czarcasm] \*\*

Please, for the sake of brevity and legality, do not post entire articles. All you have to do is provide a line or two and a link to the original article. Thank you.