Yao Ming dunked many a basketball in his day, but he saved a few more slams for Friday night.
The 7-foot-6 former Houston Rockets center was elected into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., along with Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal. And while Yao never was the most outspoken NBA player, he certainly brought the heat during his induction speech.
His first zinger came right off the bat, with a nice jab at Iverson that predictably focused on the Philadelphia 76ers star’s distaste for practice.
“When I heard that I would be the first speaker tonight, I thought somebody made a mistake,” Yao said. “Don’t laugh, because I think this spot belongs to the great Allen Iverson. You know why? Because I need more practice than him.”
The big man didn’t let Shaq off the hook, either, poking fun of the former Los Angeles Lakers star’s well-documented struggles at the free throw line.
Yao made fun of Shaq's terrible FT % pic.twitter.com/MHqJQ2KV23
— Alysha Tsuji (@AlyshaTsuji) September 9, 2016
Yao didn’t even spare Dikembe Mutombo, calling the legendary shot blocker “the oldest of the three” as he sat next to Bill Walton and Bill Russell.
.@YaoMing has jokes. #16hoopclass https://t.co/hmTzh7qJtT
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) September 9, 2016
We didn’t know Yao had all of these jokes in him, but we certainly don’t hate it.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
