Former NBA superstar Yao Ming couldn’t hide his disappointment over the defeat of team China against Gilas Pilipinas during the 2023 Asian Games on October 4.
Gilas Pilipinas defeated China in a 77-76 match, making the Philippines advance to the gold medal against Jordan.
Gilas also defeated Jordan, giving the first basketball gold medal of the Philippines for the Asian Games after 60 years.
In an interview with Xinhua news agency, Yao said that the current rooster of the Chinese basketball team was showing signs of laziness after the Philippines outscored them during the last two minutes of their game.
“There are two types of slacking — one is the indisciplined kind, and the other is wanting to eat your opponent in just one bite,” said Yao.
According to Yao, Chinese basketball must undergo a ‘major operation’ to be qualified for the 2028 Summer Olympics.
“We have to conduct a major operation — this is not something small tweaks will achieve. From the make-up of the national team to league reform, this is a major operation covering the entire basketball community,” he said.
It can be recalled that Gilas also defeated China during the FIBA World Cup last September.
Meanwhile, a video of Yao, who’s visibly disappointed, went viral on social media and even gained the attention of some professional Filipino basketball players, including Calvin Abueva.