Shaquille O’Neal Learned Chinese Word for Sorry After Bullying 7’6” Yao Ming: “You Need to Show This Young Man”

Shaquille O’Neal had an incredible NBA career spanning 19 years. He won four NBA championships in his career and currently holds court on ‘Inside the NBA’ on TNT. Shaq is popular for his trademark humorous comments during the show alongside Charles Barkley. However, once his joke backfired when he made an insensitive remark at Chinese star, Yao Ming.

Shaq made a remark at Yao Ming, which became the talking point among the NBA circles back in 2003. He was derided across radio channels and the internet for his comments that were termed offensive. However, Shaq came out and publicly apologized. He said that it was a joke, and he apologized to those who were hurt by his gesture.

Notably, then Houston Rockets center, Yao Ming said that he too believed that Shaq was joking.

“I believe Shaquille O’Neal was joking with what he said, but I think a lot of Asian people don’t understand this kind of joke,” Ming said, according to LA Times.

Later in his career, Shaq went on to be great friends with Yao Ming. He even once revealed an incident when his father told him to apologize to Yao Ming personally.

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Shaquille O’Neal’s father demanded he apologize to Yao Ming

O’Neal appeared in the ‘Hot Ones’ in 2019. During the show, he revealed how his father told him to apologize to Yao Ming. His father also revealed that Yao Ming idolized Shaq.

“He’s (Shaq’s father) like ‘man, this kid’s been idolizing you. I didn’t want to tell you, but he’s been idolizing you, been writing letters. Show them a little-bit more’,” Shaq said on the ‘First We Feast’ channel on YouTube.

“My father was very upset. He said ‘you need to show this young man’. So when I got home, he used to send me Christmas cards. So every time I go to China, I just try to reach out to him.”

Shaq revealed how his father got upset at his actions and told him to apologize to Ming. Shaq did apologize, and also added that he meets Yao whenever he goes to China.

Shaquille O’Neal learns the Chinese word for sorry

During the time of the controversy in 2003, Shaq did learn a Chinese word for Yao Ming. Shaq learned to say ‘Toy-inchee’, which means sorry in Chinese.

“Toy-inchee,” Shaq said. “Toy-inchee.”

“Chinese,” he said after looking up, “for ‘I’m sorry.’ For when I see Yao Ming.”

Shaq then went on to form a great relationship with Yao Ming. Yao stayed with the Rockets till 2011, before leaving the NBA. In fact, Shaq retired from the NBA the same year and became an analyst on TNT.

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