The NBA is currently hosting a series of its NBA China Games across the country, with the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers featuring in a pair of games in Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Of course, legendary NBAer Yao Ming — who happens to own a professional basketball team in Shanghai — came by to make an appearance, and NBA fans are losing it over one specific photo in which he appears to dwarf 7-foot Dirk Nowitzki.
Of course, Yao can make anyone look tiny in comparison, but the six-inch difference between him and Dirk Nowitzki looks like a lot more than just that. The four inches separating Nowitzki and rookie Luka Doncic, also pictured, looks far more realistic.
As you can see in the full photo shared by Doncic, this isn’t a forced-perspective angle or anything either, as the three players are all standing side by side. There’s a tilt to the photo, sure, but it doesn’t explain the weirdness at work here.
The answer, obviously, is that Yao hasn’t stopped growing since retiring, and now at the age of 38 (younger than Vince Carter!), he’s ready to make his NBA comeback as a proper 8-footer.
