Chinanews, Beijing, Jan. 5 – Yao's representative Zhang Mingji, or known as Eric Zhang in the United States, on Wednesday refuted NBA analyst Charley Rosen’s claim about Yao Ming being officially a “giant,” the Jinghua Time reported.
Earlier, in responding to netizens’ questions online, Charley Rosen, an analyst on NBA issue, said in Fox News channel that he agreed with doctor Tom Winters, an orthopedic specialist at New England Baptist Hospital, that Yao was officially a "giant".
Tom Winters told him, as Charley Rosen said, that in the past two years, Yao suffered from injuries more often than before, which indicated that Yao demonstrated some symptoms of "gigantism".
“The disease is caused by secretion disorder by the pituitary gland. Since Yao's bones are longer than ordinary people, his bones are more vulnerable to rupture and cannot support his weight. If Yao Ming continues to play in NBA, his career will ultimately be short-lived,” Charley Rosen quoted Tom Winters as saying.
The claim was severely criticized by Zhang Mingji. He said that Yao’s recent physical check showed that he was “in a very healthy state.”
"I don't know what he is up to by making such an erroneous statement. Yao Ming asked me to tell the public that he cared not what other people said about him. Now he only wants to recover from his injuries as soon as possible and go back to play for the team," Zhang said.
A patient who suffers from "gigantism" usually demonstrates one of the following symptoms. He is very tall with disproportionately long arms and legs. He moves around clumsily. He has an extraordinary height while his parents are relatively short. He has a metabolic disorder with large growth hormone and a high level of blood sugar. There is some pituitary tumor inside the brain and a high level of growth hormone in the blood. Without an operation, the patient will go senile prematurely and he will become shorter afterwards.
Based on the above symptoms, one can easily exclude the plausibility of Yao Ming contracting “gigantism”. Firstly, although Yao Ming has grown to 2.26 meters in height, his arms are only 2.20 meters long, or relatively short in this case. Secondly, Yao can move very swiftly. Thirdly, Yao’s father is 2.08 meters tall and his mother is 1.88 meters tall. So he has carried on his parents’ genetic characteristics to grow tall. Every year, Yao Ming takes physical examination in NBA and the physical checks show that nothing is abnormal with him. Finally, Yao Ming has never taken any operation, yet he is currently one of the most competitive centers in NBA.
