Shaq apologizes

[Chi]

Shaq says sorry


Friday, January 10

Shaq says mock accent was used jokingly

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press


LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers' Shaquille O'Neal said he was joking, not being a racist, when he used a mock Chinese accent while talking about Houston center Yao Ming.


O'Neal




A columnist for AsianWeek complained in his newspaper that O'Neal made several derogatory comments recently about Yao, with the Lakers' center saying, "Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh.'''


"I said it jokingly, so this guy was just trying to stir something up that's not there. He's just somebody who doesn't have a sense of humor, like I do. I don't have to have a response to that (the charges of racism) because the people who know me know I'm not,'' O'Neal said Friday before Los Angeles' game against Cleveland.


"I mean, if I was the first one to do it, and the only one to do it, I could see what they're talking about. But if I offended anybody, I apologize.''


Yao, asked about the comments prior to Houston's game at Atlanta, said he believed O'Neal was joking.


"There are a lot of difficulties in two different cultures understanding each other. Especially two very large countries. The world is getting smaller and I think it's important to have a greater understanding of other cultures. I believe Shaquille O'Neal was joking but I think that a lot of Asian people don't understand that kind of joke,'' Yao said.


"Chinese is hard to learn. I had trouble with it when I was little,'' Yao joked.


O'Neal recently received an NAACP Young Leaders Award.


He acknowledged that his attempts at humor don't always work.


"Over my 11 years in the NBA, I know for a fact that most of you guys are going to write what you want to write, and it's our job to either defend it or just let it go. At times I try to be a comedian,'' he said. "Sometimes I make a good joke and sometimes it's a bad joke.


"That's just the ups and downs of trying to be a comedian.''


Lakers coach Phil Jackson was certain O'Neal was just kidding.


"It's an unfortunate situation. I'm sure that Shaq had no meaning like that behind it. I'm sure he was just doing something that was fun-loving or something he thought was humorous,'' Jackson said.


"The meeting between Shaq and Yao Ming next Friday (in Houston ) is going to be an interesting one, anyway, so it should bring a lot of interest to the game.''


Yao is leading O'Neal for the starting Western Conference center spot in fan balloting for the NBA All-Star game.

[achtungbaby]

Kudos to Asianweek for getting Shaq to respond to this.

[Arb Nam]

About time someone beats that stupid sense of humor outta him.

[lethal]

Wow, I'm impressed that there was an apology. I'm not all that impressed with the apology itself, but it was more than I was hoping for.

Shaq's still a fool in my book though.

[AliBabaIncorporated]

Trent Lott gave a half-assed apology, but denying he was being racist, for making a vague statement praising some old geezer at his 100th birthday party, and he got drummed outta polite society by his own political party, and forced into giving a real apology which admitted his racism. Shaq, to whom a lot more people pay attention, makes a half-assed apology, while also denying his racism, for yelling out "ching chong" bullshit while trash-talking, and it's all good. :angry:

[Jenny]

That apology was weak. :pissed:

[achtungbaby]

Originally posted by AliBabaIncorporated@Jan 11 2003, 01:45 AM
Trent Lott gave a half-assed apology, but denying he was being racist, for making a vague statement praising some old geezer at his 100th birthday party, and he got drummed outta polite society by his own political party, and forced into giving a real apology which admitted his racism.

Personally, I didn't think it was necessary for Lott to resign (they're just replacing him with another Republican anyway), but he really did back himself into a corner on that one. Then again, there probably wasn't anywhere he could go, given his record on race. And you're right -- he was cannibalized by his own, particulary Dubya, who Lott's been a strong supporter of.

Anyone have a clip of Shaq's initial "joke"?

[deez nuts]

Originally posted by lethalweapon@Jan 11 2003, 04:39 AM
Wow, I'm impressed that there was an apology. I'm not all that impressed with the apology itself, but it was more than I was hoping for.

Shaq's still a fool in my book though.

Yah, I'm with you.

[iris]

Originally posted by Chi@Jan 11 2003, 04:09 PM
Shaq says sorry


Friday, January 10

Shaq says mock accent was used jokingly

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"I said it jokingly, so this guy was just trying to stir something up that's not there. He's just somebody who doesn't have a sense of humor, like I do. I don't have to have a response to that (the charges of racism) because the people who know me know I'm not,'' O'Neal said Friday before Los Angeles' game against Cleveland.


"I mean, if I was the first one to do it, and the only one to do it, I could see what they're talking about. But if I offended anybody, I apologize.''

What the hell is that? That goes in line with what my mom always told me, "if everyone jumped off a cliff, would you jump off one also?" Just because several people in this world may be ignorant, doesn't give Shaq the permission to be so. Majority agreement is not always morally right, much less socially correct or acceptable. Props to Yao Ming for handling the situation with grace.

[rakovlam]

better learn from Yao Ming on how to handle situations like this. Don't sue, don't call the ACLU or the NAACP, just prove them wrong. January 17, Rockets vs Lakers, one of them is getting owned.

[Rogmok]

yeah.. the apology was a litte half-assed..

[SunWuKong]

I don't have to have a response to that (the charges of racism) because the people who know me know I'm not

that really makes me wonder what is considered "acceptable" in his social circles.


anyway, i think what he gave was better than nothing.

[Hanuman]

So he's not racist? Just stupid? That's his defense? It's a weak apology, and if some star or athlete were to make fun of gays in a 'joking manner' it would be ok? Or how about that Fuzzy Zoeller, Tiger Woods fiasco. Wasn't that a 'joke'? Shaq is getting off way too easy on this one.

[pfc beansprout]

Originally posted by Tawee@Jan 11 2003, 01:52 PM
So he's not racist? Just stupid? That's his defense? It's a weak apology, and if some star or athlete were to make fun of gays in a 'joking manner' it would be ok? Or how about that Fuzzy Zoeller, Tiger Woods fiasco. Wasn't that a 'joke'? Shaq is getting off way too easy on this one.

-agree w/u here...fuzzy got drilled for his "comic act." nba brass is weak for not coming foward....and yao...i hate to say it, but i honestly think it was the other way around; "I believe Shaquille O'Neal was joking but I think that a lot of Asian people don't understand that kind of joke..." i honestly believe him, coming from china, where he was the majority, does not yet know how much poor taste that COMMENT, not joke, was....

[SunWuKong]

shit what else is new. make fun of asian people, you're "joking". make fun of blacks, you're racist.