Yao Ming to Be Nominated for 2012 Hall of Fame


It appears that Jeff Van Gundy may soon be proven right. Yao Ming will get a nomination to enter the Hall of Fame, rather quickly following his retirement. From NBA.com: “Officials of the Springfield, Mass., basketball museum said representatives from the Chinese Basketball Assn. and media in China signaled plans to nominate Yao in the contributor category and bypass the usual five-year waiting period for retired players. While there is no such thing as certainty in a balloting so secretive that even the voters are never revealed, let alone the results, Yao as a contributor removes the debate that might have accompanied his nomination as a player after a career decimated by injury. Plus, after announcing his retirement from the Rockets in July, he would not have been eligible for enshrinement until 2017. This unique approach would put Yao on the ballot that is submitted in late-2011 and faces two rounds of voting before inductees for the Class of 2012 are announced at the Final Four in New Orleans. The actual enshrinement would be later in the summer, likely August, in Springfield. Yao has not yet been nominated, but John Doleva, the president and CEO of the Hall, reported he has talked with Chinese basketball officials and media who called to get clarification on the process. They replied, Doleva said, that paperwork would come in time for the 2012 ballot.”