Yao Ming could be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame next year – NBA Update
Recently retired Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming could be nominated for an induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame as early as next year. This was revealed by the president and CEO of the Naismith Hall of Fame, John Doleva
in a recent interview.
The claim might sound confusing to some as the Basketball Hall of Fame requires that a player must have been retired 5 years previously to the time his name is nominated. With Yao Ming having played for the Houston Rockets in the
last season, his eligibility date for the Hall of Fame would be around 2017.
However, John Doleva revealed that Yao could be inducted before the 5 year waiting period if he is nominated as a contributor to the game. Contributors can be nominated and inducted into the Hall at any time.
“We got into the conversation about Yao as a contributor, because of what he did to bring the global viewpoint, especially China, into the basketball family and really kind of a lot of other ways really kick-started basketball
in China,” Doleva said. “If you’re a contributor, you can be nominated at any time. So that means there’s no waiting period.”
“And what was determined by this individual is they actually were going to put together a group in China to nominate Yao as a contributor, so he would be eligible as early as next year.”
Yao Ming has certainly made a world of difference for the popularity of the game around the globe, especially in the Far East where the player is already regarded as a living legend. Yao opened the gates for many future foreign
and especially Asian players to come over and ply their trade in the NBA.
He has also been instrumental in spreading awareness about the game and opening the vast market of China for the NBA and its players. Since Yao arrived in the NBA, as the first overall pick back in 2002, the popularity of the game
has soared to unprecedented heights.
Various analyst, commentators and basketball personalities have hailed the influence of the Chinese big guy in promoting the game to a whole new audience and firmly establishing basketball as one the most widely played sports around
the world.
Yao Ming, in his prime, was also a terrific player. Standing 7-foot-5, Yao dominated in the paint on both ends of the court. His agility and soft touch were unseen for someone his side and Yao brought a certain skilful aspect to
the game that had perhaps been missing from the arsenal of many centres around the NBA.
The final decision regarding nominating the retired Chinese will rest with the man himself, as Yao has to agree to the nomination before the process can move forward.
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