In the NBA, talk is cheap. Respect is earned on the court, not in the newspapers, or by the fans. Franchises are run like a business and hype and drama sell tickets. When the Houston Rockets took the 2001 draft pick, no team had players to battle the reigning NBA Champions’ center Shaquille O’Neal. At 7’1” 300+ lbs. he dominated the league with size, power and explosiveness. But the Rockets took a chance on a tall, promising center from China and the talk began.

Yao Ming was 21 years old, 7’5”, 296 lbs., and could shoot jump shots. He had an international game of finesse and sportsmanship (often lost in the NBA). After the domination of Shaq, Yao Ming became the answer. Their rivalry followed the likes of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell and the media ate it up. But before their highly anticipated meeting on January 17th, sports talk shows revealed tape of Shaq making kung-fu expressions when asked about the rivalry. He told reporters in mock Chinese language, “Tell Yao Ming ‘ching chong ying wahh…”

There was a dual response from the Asian community. Many said Shaq and his remarks were racist. Many shrugged it off as another racial clash and ducked heads. Yao Ming humorously dismissed the comments, stating that even he had trouble learning Chinese when younger. Some Asian American groups furiously sent emails and organized protests at basketball games. Oddly enough, their responses rarely appeared on national media. Instead, KCAL TV broadcasters interviewed a popular local LA Chinese restaurant owner before the game. In wake of Yao Ming’s arrival, there have been fortune cookie distributions and dragon dances during games. The success of an Asian basketball player has thrust the Asian stereotype into the spotlight.

But can we really pin Shaquille O’Neal with outright racism for these comments? His words do not express hate, but ignorance. These stereotypes draw from something larger. Some of Hollywood’s most lucrative comedy, including Jackie Chan movies “Shanghai Noon” or “Rush Hour” exploit the same Asian characterizations. Media and entertainment saturate America’s perspectives, and it is not clear that Shaq should carry the backlash alone. Shaq apologized shortly after his interviews were replayed and explained it was his lame attempt at a joke. By all appearances, he merely tried to emulate the pop culture that has made him a star. He was wrong, but given the context of the combatant face offs of pro sports, it is fair to note Shaq takes abuse on and off the court but keeps his large fists to himself.

The Asian American response to this incident was too extreme: either too vicious or too small. Calling Shaq racist and pointing fingers does not address the larger attitude toward Asian Americans. Shaq is a media darling, with legions of fans. The protests fell on largely dismissive or confused ears. Passivity, however, is its own inherent evil. If the Asian American community wants clout, it needs unity, but even more so, precision: we need to pick our battles, we need to qualify our enraged accusations. It was right to draw attention, but vindicating a celebrity will do little to change popular opinion.

The minority presence in professional sports is still a taboo subject. It is encouraging for Asians to see Yao Ming as a real contender in the NBA, but businesses and the public have had an unsteady response. The average person’s understanding of Asian culture comes from larger media stereotypes or personal experience. If personal experience is limited, then Asian culture is limited to fortune cookies and dragon dances.

O’Neal is not absolved of perpetuating the stereotypes that Asian Americans continue to face today. He is like a national hero, a role model for the youth, and was recently presented with an NAACP award for leadership. Yet he, like too much of America, sees Asian Americans as simply the kung fu fighting machines. And we see the sponsors provide the fans with fortune cookies during a Miami game, to celebrate Yao’s presence. Many people, even Yao, brushed this whole incident as simply a joke. But Yao is not Asian American, he is Asian. He is not familiar with America society’s contentious and complex inter-racial situation.

With time, the Yao Ming craze may fade, or another young Asian player will join him on the court. But because he is the first Asian, there will inevitably be bumps in the road. Shaq most likely learned something from this issue (even if Mandarin and Cantonese are different) and hopefully, so did the public.