Yao Ming has been the face of Chinese basketball for decades. Now, he is the face of the Chinese basketball embarrassment as fans and citizens pile on the national basketball team after their poor showing in two straight tournaments.
Just last August, Team Dragon finished in 29th place out of 32 teams in the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
In the ongoing Asian Games, China, as hosts, disappointed again after losing their semifinal match against the Philippines, the same team that they lost to in the World Cup.
Yao is currently serving as the president of the Chinese Basketball Association, and many fingers point to him as the reason Chinese basketball is struggling internationally.
It did not help that Team Dragon decided not to speak to reporters after their disastrous meltdown against the Philippines.
Popular sports blogger Li Xuan wrote on Weibo, where he has 6.2 million followers, how Yao Ming is at the center of this disaster.
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"Frankly speaking, I won't call Yao Ming out of class, not because of how good his grades are now, nor because of how brilliant he was as a player, but because I don't know who the Chinese men's basketball team would be able to bring in to improve in his place," Li wrote.
"The problem of Chinese basketball is the same as the problem of Chinese football. It is a stubborn problem that cannot be solved in a short time. Yao Ming is responsible for the current situation, but he is not fully responsible."
Fans are especially bitter about losing to the Philippines, a team they usually manhandle in any competition.
The hashtag "Chinese men's basketball lost twice to the Philippines in 32 days" trended on Weibo and has been viewed 28 million times as of this writing.
Yao Ming apologizes
The Houston Rockets legend immediately apologized for the misunderstanding in the press conference and said he is taking responsibility but not for the team's poor showing.
"I have caused a delay in time for everyone here. I would like to apologise to everyone."
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