Having Struggled Against 330lbs Yao Ming, Ex-Celtics Star Breaks Down Chinese Basketball Legend’s Weaknesses

If guarding Shaquille O’Neal was a challenge, Yao Ming should’ve been a nightmare. The Chinese basketball star, at 7’6″, did not just have the size advantage but also possessed an array of skills. If 3x Defensive Player of the Year, Dwight Howard, says Ming was the hardest player to guard, you better believe him. But it seems few tactics worked against the 8x All-Star, and Rasheed Wallace has recently revealed his.

Appearing on the Sheed & Tyler podcast, the former Celtics star stated he didn’t know Ming before he arrived in the NBA. But once the 7’6″ player weighing 330 lbs was in the league, Sheed felt the need to read his gameplay. And the best way to analyze Ming at his full potential? Well, according to Sheed, it was watching him go against another NBA giant — Shaquille O’Neal.

Scoring 10 points in the game, Yao became the first-ever player to block Shaq three times in a row. However, O’Neal was in no mood to let his name and years of experience be dragged through the mud. Moreover, media calling Ming the next Big Man reportedly had the Lakers star fuming all over. Shaq emerged with 31 points and 13 rebounds in the game. Meanwhile, this game helped Wallace to conclude that Yao Ming struggled against O’Neal from the field.

But at the same time, Yao left the ex-Celtics star impressed with some of his skills. “Coming with the left shoulder, right shoulder jump hooks. He’s coming with the left shoulder turnaround, he put it on the floor two or three dribbles. And even though he didn’t have to, at 7’5″, he’s trying to give you an up and under,” Wallace recalled.

Having taken his notes from Ming’s game against Shaq, Wallace focused on getting the 8x All-Star out of his comfort zone — away from the basket. “Just start fighting him before he gets to the block… Start wrestling and all this sh*t at the top of the key, the free-throw line, because I know I’m at the disadvantage the closer you are to the basket, no matter if I got the double coming or not,” Wallace said, revealing the one weakness he exploited against Ming. However, this wasn’t the only tactic Sheed used against him, especially once he was comfortable with the physical play.

“Get him out of his mindset”: Wallace details more on his game plan against Yao Ming

As mentioned earlier, even 3x DPOY Dwight Howard has mentioned Ming as the toughest player he had to guard. “I would hit him in the chest, make his shoulders clap. Game is over with after that, all it took is two times...” Howard said of his game against the Houston Rockets’ giant.

So it was only natural for the 8x All-Star to get used to such gameplay after a point. During the discussion on his Sheed & Tyler Podcast, Wallace takes the viewers from the point where Ming debuted in the league to the point where he was comfortable with all the physical play. But, as claimed by Rasheed, the 7’6″ player was not used to the physical play coming down the court.

“I might be hitting with him on some Charles Barkley sh*t. You know, we’re running next to each other down the court,” he revealed his other tactic against Ming. But no tactic could stop Ming from averaging 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in his short-lived NBA career. Had the injuries not taken their toll on him, the 7’6″ could’ve been one of the most efficient players on both ends of the court the league ever saw.