China's Yao Ming has on more than one occasion been the recipient of some stinging comments from Shaquille O'Neal.
Yao usually takes the diplomatic high road, but this time he couldn't resist a jab of his own and it marked one of the funniest moments of All-Star Weekend.
During a locker-room interview prior to Sunday's All-Star Game, Yao was approached by Shaunie O'Neal, the wife of Los Angeles Lakers' center Shaquille O'Neal.
Shaunie, who is working as a "special correspondent" for entertainment broadcaster Access Hollywood asked Yao about finishing ahead of her husband in fan voting for the All-Star Game.
The exchange went like this:
Shaunie O'Neal "Hi, I am Shaquille's wife. What do you think about starting ahead of my husband in the All-Star Game?"
Yao (through an interpreter): "I don't know who is more jealous -- you or Shaq."
Shaunie O'Neal: "Well, I would have to say probably me because I enjoy seeing my husband."
Shaunie O'Neal: "What do you think of the All-Star Game being in Hollywood?"
Yao: "When there are lots of people around I feel more normal."
Shaunie O'Neal: "So you don't like it?"
Yao: "No, I like it."
Shaunie O'Neal: "Oh, so you like all the attention. You just kind of like being first all the time."
Yao's response drew a chorus of laughter from those in the West dressing room who were within an earshot.
Shaq hasn't always been gracious in his opinions of Yao, especially after Yao outscored him 29-24 in the Houston Rockets regular season victory last Wednesday.
"I hate when you say, `You against Yao,'" O'Neal said during All-Star Weekend.
"Don't say `[Shaq] against Yao' when I got four defenders on me. I'll always play him one-on-one. I don't think he'll ever play me one-on-one. Ever, ever, never. Never, ever, never."
Yao finished with 16 points in just 19 minutes of playing time in Sunday's showcase game.
In a Forbes Magazine study, Yao was identified as the most popular celebrity in China, beating out movies stars and musicians.
In 2003, Yao earned US$14.8 million, more than any Chinese citizen.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
If all goes well when the biggest marathon field ever gathered in Australia races 42km through the streets of Sydney on Sunday, World Marathon Majors (WMM) will soon add a seventh race to the elite series. The Sydney Marathon is to become the first race since Tokyo in 2013 to join long-established majors in New York, London, Boston, Berlin and Chicago if it passes the WMM assessment criteria for the second straight year. “We’re really excited for Sunday to arrive,” race director Wayne Larden told a news conference in Sydney yesterday. “We’re prepared, we’re ready. All of our plans look good on
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
When details from a scientific experiment that could have helped clear Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva landed at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the leader of the organization’s reaction was unequivocal: “We have to stop that urgently,” he wrote. No mention of the test ever became public and Valieva’s defense at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) went on without it. What effect the information could have had on Valieva’s case is unclear, but without it, the skater, then 15 years old, was eventually disqualified from the 2022 Winter Olympics after testing positive for a banned heart medication that would later
RSS