May is also known as Asian Heritage Month. In honor of our Asian friends I thought it would be nice to highlight some of the greatest athletes to ever come out of the massive continent. Asia has star athletes across all sports, from boxing to golf, basketball, and even hockey! So, without further ado, let’s take a look, pay respect, and see who the greatest Asian athletes are.
Son Heung-Min
One word comes to mind when you think of Son Heung-Min; electric. Having endeared himself in the hearts of Tottenham Hotspur fans, as he has been arguably their most dominant player these past five years. Consistently topping the 10+ goal mark with Tottenham, his play lends more than just goals to the squads he’s on.
His playmaking skills are some of the best in the world, and it also doesn’t hurt that he is one of the fastest players on the Tottenham squad. All in all, Son is one of the greatest Premier League players at the moment, and is slowly becoming a Tottenham legend.
Jeremy Lin
I’ll set the picture; it’s 2012, the New Year just passed, Carmelo Anthony is on the Knicks, and Kobe Bryant is chasing his sixth NBA ring. An unknown Asian guard is fighting for minutes on a bolstering Knicks roster led by Carmelo Anthony. Having bounced around from the Knicks to the G-League, Lin finally catches a break and is promoted to the starting lineup. What happens next is forever engrained in the hearts of fans and NBA history.
Lin would lead the Knicks to a seven-game win streak and would help lead the team from New York to the playoffs. “Linsanity” was crazy while it was happening, and is still crazy when you go back and watch it. After that, Lin would sign with the Houston Rockets, and enjoy some decent years in the NBA. As a Taiwanese-American player, Lin contributed greatly to the NBA.
Yao Ming
Speaking of another professional basketball player who contributed greatly to the sport, look no further than the 7″6 Houston Rocket center Yao Ming. The 8-time NBA All-Star enjoyed a short, but storied, career in the NBA, and set the precedent for modern big-men in the NBA today. Yao’s best season came in 2006-07 when he averaged 25 points a game and was bringing in 9.4 rebounds a game as well.
Yes, his career was cut short due to injury trouble, but as the saying goes, look for “quality, not quantity”. Although he would only spend nine years in the NBA, every single one of those nine years was filled with quality, all-star play.
Michelle Kwan
When you think of female figure skating, it’s hard not to think of Michelle Kwan. Born to parents of Chinese descent, Kwan is the most decorated American figure skater of all time, having won two Olympic medals, as well as five world championships, it’s hard to deny Kwan’s excellence in the sport.
Kwan’s greatest impact however is the one she made on all the children getting into figure skating, who viewed her as a role model. She is the poster girl for consistency and hard work and has shown that when you put your mind and effort into something, you can achieve anything.
Jim Paek
Largely unknown, only hockey purists and massive Pittsburgh Penguins will remember Jim Paek, however, he largely contributed to the breaking of several cultural barriers in the NHL. The NHL was, and sadly continues to be, a league that isn’t used to vast diversity, but Paek defied the odds and became the first player of Korean descent to suit up in the NHL. Oh ya, did I mention his jersey is hanging in the Hockey Hall of Fame?
Jim Paek was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1985, Paek began his professional career with the Penguins farm club in Muskegon. After a couple of seasons in the minors, Jim was called up in 1991 during the Penguins playoff run, as three defensemen went down with injuries. Paek would score his first goal in a Stanley Cup-clinching game against the Minnesota North Stars and would win another cup with the Penguins a year later. Quite the resume indeed!
Ichiro Suzuki
You know you’re a legend when fans start referring to you solely by your first name. One of my favorite baseball players of all time, Ichiro Suzuki took the league by storm when he first broke onto the MLB scene in 2001 with the Seattle Mariners. His MLB career would last 18 seasons, and he would decorate those 18 years with 10 all-star appearances, an AL MVP and AL Rookie of the Year award (in the same year, 2001), 10 Gold Gloves, and an MLB record 262 hits in a single season.
His career stats read like something out of a Hall of Fame directory; .311 career batting average, 3019 career hits, and 780 runs batted in. Ichiro was electric in the MLB, and will no doubt have his name called by the Hall in the coming years.
Manny Pacquiao
72 professional bouts, 62 wins, and 39 by knockout. Manny Pacquiao, who was lovingly called “PacMan” during his fighting days, is one bad man in the ring, but a sweetheart outside of it. Known for being one of the most generous athletes of all time, people often forget that he was an absolute killer in the ring, and is largely considered one of the greatest boxers of all time.
Hailing from the Philippines, Pacquiao’s story is one of Hollywood proportions. Growing up in extreme poverty, Pacquiao was introduced to the sport of boxing by his maternal uncle and fell in love with the sport. The rest, as they say, is history. Pacquiao has cemented himself as one of the top five boxers of all time, and will always be remembered for the heart he showed while in the ring.
This is just a short list I’ve compiled, but make no mistake about it, there are many more Asian athletes that have changed the very fabric of certain sports because of their excellence. Who are some of your favorite Asian athletes? Let me know in the comments below!