National Basketball Association

New York Knicks Invested Big In Attempt To Land Yao Ming

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New York Knicks sincerely wanted to land Yao Ming at the 2002 NBA Draft. Frank Isola of The New York Daily News recalled the events.

When Jeff Van Gundy stepped down as head coach of the New York Knicks, success at The Mecca left with him. Following a stretch of 14 consecutive postseason appearances, New York has since missed the playoffs in 11 of 15 seasons.

It was through the 2002 NBA Draft that then general manager Scott Layden was hoping to land the next franchise player: Yao Ming.

Ming will be inducted into the Hall of Fame at just 35 years of age. Injuries took him from the Association, but he still managed to piece together one of the most influential careers in NBA history.

According to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News, general manager Scott Layden was uncharacteristically vocal about his interest in landing Yao.

Layden, however, was already preparing for the Knicks first lottery pick since 1987. In the summer of 2001, Layden traveled to China to scout Yao, who was playing with the Shanghai Sharks. Layden made another visit in February 2002.

“Yao Ming is a very talented guy who has a lot of potential,” Layden said at the time. “I was impressed with him.”

That was far more than just obligatorily respectful praise.

Entering the 2002 NBA Draft, Ming was an enigmatic goliath who stood at 7’6″. With a smooth midrange game and clear defensive potential, however, Ming offered enough to intrigue even the most jaded of scouts and executives.

Fresh off of leading the Shanghai Sharks to the CBA championship, the hype was as loud as ever.

New York wanted in.

The Knicks landed the No. 7 overall selection in the 2002 NBA Draft. Despite the unlikelihood of Ming sliding to No. 7, New York was eager to discover just how great of a player he could become.

Per Isola, the Knicks held a two-day workout with Yao—a workout that included franchise player Allan Houston.

That May, the Knicks held a two-day clandestine workout/interview with Yao in Chicago. The trip, which cost nearly $30,000, included a 12 person entourage headed by Layden and Steve Mills. They even brought along Allan Houston.

“I saw the whole time that he had skills,” Houston said at the time. “I told everybody when I got back that he was going to be OK. He’s 7-5, he’s got skills. Who wouldn’t want him?”

That’s a sign of genuine interest.

Instead of falling to the Knicks, Ming went No. 1 overall to the Houston Rockets. He was selected before Duke Blue Devils superstars Jay Williams and Mike Dunleavy Jr., as well as future All-Stars Amar’e Stoudemire and Caron Butler.

The Knicks, meanwhile, selected Nene Hilario at No. 7 overall. New York then packaged him in a trade with Marcus Camby and Mark Jackson.

In return, the Knicks received Antonio McDyess, Frank Williams, and a second-round draft pick that turned into Maciej Lampe.

Houston got a Hall of Famer and New York got the worst 15-year period in franchise history.

New York Knicks Invested Big In Attempt To Land Yao Ming

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