What Is Dead May Never Die: NBA players who left too soon

Yao Ming

by Evans Clinchy (@evansclinchy)

It seems weird to say that a guy who scored 9,000 career points, pulled down 4,500 rebounds and made eight All-Star teams had his career tragically cut short, but how else can you describe the trajectory of Yao Ming?

Yao is 33 years old today. He was born in 1980 – the same year as Jamal Crawford, Pau Gasol and David West; as Channing Tatum, Kim Kardashian and Ryan Gosling. He should be reaching the peak of his powers right now. He’s 7-foot-6, as cerebral as he is absolutely beastly, as personable and hilarious as he is marketable. He should be not just one of the best players in the NBA today, but also a global icon who helps extend the reach of the NBA from Houston to his native Shanghai and everywhere in between.

To a certain extent, Yao was that. He was a mainstay on the All-NBA second or third team between 2004 and ’09, and his star power was undeniable – he was the first player ever to crack 2.5 million All-Star votes, a testament to his likability both at home and abroad. He was also a member of some damn good Houston Rockets teams.

That doesn’t mean I’m satisfied with his career because, well, just imagine the guy with two good feet. He could have been a massive force behind the globalization of basketball. We all talk about hoops pushing its way into the worldwide conversation, right there with soccer competing for supremacy, but we need more international stars for that to happen. Walk down the street in China or Japan or South Korea and you’ll see plenty of people wearing NBA jerseys, be they Kobe or LeBron or whoever else – but if Yao had stayed on top? We’re talking next-level.

Also, think about those Rockets. Think about Yao healthy, next to Tracy McGrady healthy, next to a very solid collection of role players like Luis Scola, Ron Artest and Shane Battier. Fully loaded, that team could have been quite the dynamo. We complained circa 2009 about the Lakers being so, so good and no real Western Conference rival emerging to threaten them – Houston could have been that team. Those ’09 Rockets pushed the Lakers to seven games in the second round even without Yao! With him, look out.

Instead, what we remember about Yao are countless injuries and recoveries and absences. There were feet, ankles and knees. There were hairline fractures and stress fractures and cramps and strains. There was every issue imaginable – which is why Yao retired at age 30, and sadly, the entire world was deprived of its next great international star.

I guess that’s the nature of the beast. When you’re 7-foot-6 and immensely skilled like Yao, injuries are going to come with that territory. It’s a blessing and a curse being Yao Ming – he had nine great years in the NBA, but what any of us wouldn’t give to see another nine yet.