View Full Version : 7-foot-9 Chinese player joins ABA team
shinobi
02-02-2007, 12:13 AM
http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070131/070131_tallbball_vmed_3p.widec.jpgVOKnw6p1qC0
Sun, 23, who weighs 370 pounds, hopes to eventually play in NBA
HEVY CHASE, Md. - The “have size, will travel” basketball odyssey that’s taken 7-foot-9, 370-pound Sun Ming Ming from China to California to Kansas to North Carolina made its latest stop Wednesday in the back room of a Chinese restaurant in this tony Washington, D.C., suburb.
That’s where the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association introduced their newest player, a man they’re touting as the tallest in the history of professional basketball.
Sun donned a uniform with the number 79 — Get it? — and his new team’s owner and coach and a teammate all gushed about his “basketball IQ” and “soft hands.”
The 23-year-old — who complained the XXXXXXL sweat shirt the team gave him was too small — was asked what his goals are.
“I hope,” Sun said, “I make the NBA some day.”
To which Nighthawks owner and ABA chief operating officer Tom Doyle said: “I’m quite sure he will.”
Really? After all, Sun hasn’t played organized basketball in more than six months, since a brief stint with the Dodge City Legend of the United States Basketball League.
Turns out, the NBA doesn’t overlook 7-footers.
“We will monitor his progress. His name has cropped up, but since he’s never really played, I don’t know how he can be on our radar,” Marty Blake, the NBA’s director of scouting, said in a telephone interview. “We would be interested in a player of some repute anywhere in the world, especially one who’s 7-9. ... As (former Utah Jazz coach) Frank Layden always said, ’You can’t teach height.”’
Sun moved from his native China — where he played on a second-division team — to California about 1½ years ago in hopes of making it in pro hoops. His career was put on hold last year while he had two operations for a pituitary tumor that led to his extraordinary size but threatened his life.
Sun said those procedures were successful and he’s getting into shape. Doyle noted that his big addition needed extra training after taking time away from the court to shoot a fight scene in Jackie Chan’s upcoming “Rush Hour 3.”
“That was very fun,” Sun said.
Nighthawks coach William Rankin expects Sun to be able to play about 28-30 minutes a game; his debut comes Saturday. That will also be Rankin’s debut with the Nighthawks — he was hired about a week ago from a junior college team.
“When I interviewed for the job, I asked, ’Do we have a 7-footer?”’ Rankin recounted. “And (Doyle) laughed and said, ’We have someone who’s almost an 8-footer.”’
Sun has been in town about 1½ weeks, working out daily with Nighthawks guard Randy Gill, who said of his new center: “Every day, somebody’s going to get dunked on.”
Veeck-style marketing, and he’s hoping to organize an exhibition game with nearly-as-tall-as-Sun former NBA players Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol to raise money toward Sun’s more than $100,000 in medical bills.
Did the Nighthawks want Sun more for his ability to play basketball or to draw crowds (the team averages about 600 spectators in its 1,000-capacity Montgomery College gym in Rockville)?
“There’s no question that having Ming here sells tickets,” Doyle said. “But there also is no question that having him here is a huge presence in our middle.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16909720/
kdotc
02-02-2007, 12:36 AM
ya i saw this on toronto star newspaper....he WILL make it to the nba..and will b the tallest nba player in history..it would b nice if houston get to draft him
baLUU
02-02-2007, 12:52 AM
http://msnbcmedia3.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/070131/070131_tallbball_vmed_3p.widec.jpgVOKnw6p1qC0
Sun, 23, who weighs 370 pounds, hopes to eventually play in NBA
HEVY CHASE, Md. - The “have size, will travel” basketball odyssey that’s taken 7-foot-9, 370-pound Sun Ming Ming from China to California to Kansas to North Carolina made its latest stop Wednesday in the back room of a Chinese restaurant in this tony Washington, D.C., suburb.
That’s where the Maryland Nighthawks of the American Basketball Association introduced their newest player, a man they’re touting as the tallest in the history of professional basketball.
Sun donned a uniform with the number 79 — Get it? — and his new team’s owner and coach and a teammate all gushed about his “basketball IQ” and “soft hands.”
The 23-year-old — who complained the XXXXXXL sweat shirt the team gave him was too small — was asked what his goals are.
“I hope,” Sun said, “I make the NBA some day.”
To which Nighthawks owner and ABA chief operating officer Tom Doyle said: “I’m quite sure he will.”
Really? After all, Sun hasn’t played organized basketball in more than six months, since a brief stint with the Dodge City Legend of the United States Basketball League.
Turns out, the NBA doesn’t overlook 7-footers.
“We will monitor his progress. His name has cropped up, but since he’s never really played, I don’t know how he can be on our radar,” Marty Blake, the NBA’s director of scouting, said in a telephone interview. “We would be interested in a player of some repute anywhere in the world, especially one who’s 7-9. ... As (former Utah Jazz coach) Frank Layden always said, ’You can’t teach height.”’
Sun moved from his native China — where he played on a second-division team — to California about 1½ years ago in hopes of making it in pro hoops. His career was put on hold last year while he had two operations for a pituitary tumor that led to his extraordinary size but threatened his life.
Sun said those procedures were successful and he’s getting into shape. Doyle noted that his big addition needed extra training after taking time away from the court to shoot a fight scene in Jackie Chan’s upcoming “Rush Hour 3.”
“That was very fun,” Sun said.
Nighthawks coach William Rankin expects Sun to be able to play about 28-30 minutes a game; his debut comes Saturday. That will also be Rankin’s debut with the Nighthawks — he was hired about a week ago from a junior college team.
“When I interviewed for the job, I asked, ’Do we have a 7-footer?”’ Rankin recounted. “And (Doyle) laughed and said, ’We have someone who’s almost an 8-footer.”’
Sun has been in town about 1½ weeks, working out daily with Nighthawks guard Randy Gill, who said of his new center: “Every day, somebody’s going to get dunked on.”
Veeck-style marketing, and he’s hoping to organize an exhibition game with nearly-as-tall-as-Sun former NBA players Gheorghe Muresan and Manute Bol to raise money toward Sun’s more than $100,000 in medical bills.
Did the Nighthawks want Sun more for his ability to play basketball or to draw crowds (the team averages about 600 spectators in its 1,000-capacity Montgomery College gym in Rockville)?
“There’s no question that having Ming here sells tickets,” Doyle said. “But there also is no question that having him here is a huge presence in our middle.”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16909720/
WTF.
Hope this guy makes it and pound the 5 '10 robinson.
szetor
02-02-2007, 01:02 AM
LMAO this would be sweet if he get onto houston team...
Sun playing powerforward
Yao playing small forward
and tracy magrady playing center. perfect.
szetor
02-02-2007, 01:06 AM
in order to grow that tall. all we need to have is a pituatary homrones....
Yeah_Ken
02-02-2007, 01:40 AM
He runs slow and has slow movements but who cares his "gi-normously" tall lol. Man, why don't we ever get any awesome azn guards playing? We always get the tall ppl playing into America? lol
compliant
02-02-2007, 01:44 AM
it's about time. he's been training for some time now.
He runs slow and has slow movements but who cares his "gi-normously" tall lol. Man, why don't we ever get any awesome azn guards playing? We always get the tall ppl playing into America? lol
haha what are you talking about ... it takes him 4 steps to get down the court. Anyone see the future of bball? First it was caucasians dominating the game then it was African Americans with different playing style and now it's the Chinese height. It wouldn't shock me to see an NBA dominated by Chinese ppl in 50 years.
juni0r
02-02-2007, 05:41 PM
Why do I see this experiment as a failure already? Yao was different, but this guy is almost 8ft tall and has proved anything yet. Lets begin the nba talk when he starts dominating the ABA.
The_Jelly
02-02-2007, 07:12 PM
in order to grow that tall. all we need to have is a pituatary homrones....
You mean a overactive pituitary gland to constantly pum HGH (Human Growth Hormone). Though it is amazing, I don't think thats really healthy.
shinobi
02-02-2007, 08:39 PM
his speed will be a factor... from the video he is quite slow...he will get owned in the NBA being so slow...i dont know how can a guy that size increase his speed...maybe lose more weight =/
kdotc
02-02-2007, 09:12 PM
i have a feeling this guy is gonna get injured this season
God Damn!! I thought the frilled fish was crazy... look at dude!! he could be one man team.. playing keep away with the rest of the centers..
Veincentury
02-02-2007, 10:15 PM
He moves slower than Shaq, but then again they both screen the hoop from other players. There are better players out there.
jus imagine that guy jumpin a foot in the air.. O_o;
kdotc
02-03-2007, 12:18 AM
nx6EP-kxOg4
coke033
02-03-2007, 12:37 AM
he cant take out shaq's garbage. cant imagine him being anything, too slow, too immobile, not much endurance or stamina, no sign of any skill or talent, jus tall. prob wont get a sniff of the NBA
goo wak jai
02-03-2007, 06:37 AM
his movements are slow... he needs to train his fitness...
He's alright... but the thing he needs to improve is his speed
I3aka
02-07-2007, 03:10 AM
Ya he's pretty slow and I'm pretty sure he can't do much except post up or he would have been scouted.
melroseddl1
02-08-2007, 09:38 PM
ya i saw this on toronto star newspaper....he WILL make it to the nba..and will b the tallest nba player in history..it would b nice if houston get to draft him
lol i can picture it yao and this guy. How many blocks would houston get lol hope that will happen, cuz if that does, that team will win championship forever.
asianviez
02-10-2007, 02:09 PM
slow physical problems.
no endurance. cant shoot
publicity stunt.
adrianc
02-10-2007, 03:41 PM
my a$$ play better than him. He 2 slow. can't move.
ab289
02-10-2007, 04:17 PM
there was a big hula when Houston signed Yao (about his height). Height is a important factor in basketball. but I think you need to be able to shoot too. In my opinion, Yao's height hasn't really been a big asset for Houston.
qtakerh
02-15-2007, 05:42 PM
omg he is soo slow but i hope he makes it to nba tho
FiNa|DiStaNc3
02-17-2007, 07:20 PM
i just saw in the paper today he is coming to an area near where i live next week. His translator will probably have a busy day here tho cuz there are barely any chinese people where i live.
He's tall, but that's it. He's slow and in poor physical condition. He's got no fundamental basketball skills at all, his team might just as well just park him right under the basket for easy points instead of expecting him to do anything else. He'll probably get a heart attack trying to block.
ultratech
02-19-2007, 03:23 AM
too slow !!
aabbcc111
02-23-2007, 09:35 AM
hahha, only has the height. Maybe he'll be like yao ming sometime later. who knows? he might even be better than yao ming and shaq.
hkm91450
02-23-2007, 05:16 PM
his speed will be a factor... from the video he is quite slow...he will get owned in the NBA being so slow...i dont know how can a guy that size increase his speed...maybe lose more weight =/
Ya He's REALLY SLOW, and LACKS AGILITY... Also, his skills aren't that great either...
He just got lucky because his pituitary gland was mutated... (haha, what a coincidence, studying the endocrine system for a biology midterm right now and came across this!)
Losing weight? I don't know.... I mean, even if he lost his weight, this guy just doesn't seem athletically inclined. To me, he's just some big, tall guy, with not much skill.
ab289
02-23-2007, 08:37 PM
i think he should just stand under the opponent's net and wait for his team mates to pass him the ball. he's so tall, he barely needs to do anything to drop the ball in the basket.
meandarkpairofshades
02-25-2007, 02:13 AM
Kind of sad, they have to fast foward the clips to make him seem faster. Like the game says "wouldn't get far"
artofwar
03-14-2007, 06:47 PM
can the guy even get off the ground?
gmani01
03-23-2007, 12:15 AM
He's too slow and clumsy to play in the NBA...
I saw him in person, too bad that he cannot jump or else he would be in the NBA. The funny thing was I saw George Muresan at his game as well (I think he's 7' 7'')
http://www.interbasket.net/players/muresan.jpg
He probably won't be able to play 30 mins a night in the nba
eason41
03-24-2007, 01:00 AM
Ya He's REALLY SLOW, and LACKS AGILITY... Also, his skills aren't that great either...
He just got lucky because his pituitary gland was mutated... (haha, what a coincidence, studying the endocrine system for a biology midterm right now and came across this!)
Losing weight? I don't know.... I mean, even if he lost his weight, this guy just doesn't seem athletically inclined. To me, he's just some big, tall guy, with not much skill.
Dude.................. I just had my biology midterm lol, I think I read the mutation factor in Genetics, but I can also be wrong because my brain feels dead after the midterm.
BeNnY853
03-30-2007, 10:13 AM
he's pretty slow .. don't think he can play much
orange123
03-31-2007, 02:21 AM
Why not play in the NBA, Should stop lots of people even he's slow.
c00135t
04-01-2007, 04:36 PM
Why not play in the NBA, Should stop lots of people even he's slow.
Er... if you're slow how will you stop anyone? In the modern NBA he's not very useful, if he were around in the old NBA where there was no defensive 3 second violation or 3 in the key he'd be rather effective.
kapo123
04-01-2007, 05:42 PM
wahh tall!!
WilliamStorm
04-01-2007, 06:20 PM
I'd feel so uncomfortable with myself if I even reached 7 ft~ I mean it must be akward to see ur toes so far away hahahha
DaGreatAzn
04-11-2007, 03:48 PM
Yao Ming will always be better than this guy. Despite this fool being taller, I can guarantee that he doesn't have the other aspects of being a good NBA player.
miestersean
04-12-2007, 02:38 AM
Guy's toes are deformed (http://sport.guardian.co.uk/breakingnews/feedstory/0,,-6134370,00.html)because his shoes were always too small...pretty sad. I don't think he'll ever make it to the NBA because he's just too tall for his own good. Just based on his physical stats, he's slow, badly-conditioned, and unable to jump well. Hope he still makes it whereever he plays though.
his conditioning will be a problem
AC0110
04-17-2007, 10:03 PM
Damn... He can literally walk over someone...
But really... all he has to do is run close to the net and someone pass the ball to him...
He can basically dunk the ball without actually dunking it...
Thisdamngood
04-18-2007, 02:19 AM
Doesn't matter how tall he is, let see if he can move on the court in a NBA game. Plus with his size, injuries will come more easily.
mingming2006
04-20-2007, 09:54 PM
woooo....7"9, ya dont wna b up against some1 twice ur height lools...id prob faint if i ever had 2 play against him lmaoz
honkiebonkie
04-27-2007, 05:34 AM
saw some videos of him...he sucks...but not totally useless....doesn't seem to be humble though which puts a dent into me actually supporting him....these people who are crap and cocky just annoys me so much
Xx_Flora_xX
04-27-2007, 05:37 AM
Jz, diz guy is bear tall! dun think he has to put effort in "playing the shoot" coz apparently all he needs is to place the ball into the net dats it! instead he shud learn how to run ard with his long legs!!! heehee
jdschinksta
05-06-2007, 02:36 PM
I'm sure he can work on his stamina and movement...
THen he can potentially become a "good" player...
smonk3y
05-29-2007, 10:37 PM
who i really want to see play is that Yi guy whos getting drafted into the NBA. he's pretty fast for a 7 something footer. do i hear power forward??
flyingturtle
06-08-2007, 01:00 AM
I watch the video and Sun's movements are just so unco-ordinated. I mean he probably is so tall he has to shoot downwards, but once he lifts his arms up just looks like all co-ordination went out the door. He's definately a case where he's so big he can't even run properly.
Yeah is this new Yi guy meant to be really that good? I thought he's meant to be like that old china nba player before Yao. Who was young, tall and not bad, but never really arrived when in the NBA. Think he's gone now..
BlueBBle
06-16-2007, 01:39 PM
He will probably get drafted 10th overall and above. Will be great if the raptors draft him, we need a real centre!!!
honkiebonkie
06-22-2007, 01:44 AM
yeh i hope yi goes into a good team that will use him
cdub68
06-22-2007, 02:16 AM
Sun Ming Ming is so last year, he would never make it in the NBA. All he has is height but theres no way he can run up and down the court with real players.
dabrokeboy
06-22-2007, 03:07 PM
dam he was in the news but he got rly bad health cuz of his size =/
nyckeion
06-22-2007, 03:27 PM
this dude is crazy tall.... damn who the hell says chinese ppl are short haha
crasianlee
06-24-2007, 05:31 PM
all sun ming ming got is his height
he doesn't have much of a form
and his condition is pretty bad
unless he works hard practicing
and gets to yao ming level
i doubt hes going to make nba
cpfwb
06-24-2007, 07:18 PM
none of the chinese players are aggressive enough...
heyumf
06-25-2007, 05:23 AM
wow so tall
lol... they get taller and taller every year..
ckthepilot
06-26-2007, 01:56 AM
He isn't exactly mobile :P
asiangang
06-26-2007, 11:58 PM
holy crap..tall....
YSL06
06-27-2007, 12:03 AM
its the aba not big deal
abbaZabba
06-27-2007, 12:19 AM
He's so tall...
edzzz66
07-02-2007, 02:03 PM
To me he looks kinda slow and he looks clumsy.
rccola75
07-03-2007, 02:00 PM
He is sooooo slow. IMO... his height advantage won't do him much good with the speed of the NBA.
honeybuns82
07-04-2007, 01:20 AM
damn, 370 lbs. He's probably really slow =\
sn00py
07-05-2007, 12:27 AM
Ming^2 definately can play good D, but he is too slow falling back. Definately will be a factor when playing at NBA level. Also, his playing style is too predictive. He also need to learn a few more tricks other than just pick and roll if someone big box him out.
simonpoh
07-05-2007, 03:47 PM
so tall! could he be the next star?
terdo
07-05-2007, 11:21 PM
he won't make it unless he gets more mobile, he couldn't really get off the ground much either
playatimmi
07-24-2007, 05:52 PM
this guy is a beast
playatimmi
07-24-2007, 05:52 PM
he doesnt have to jump to dunk
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