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Shandong guy looks like Yao Ming’s left-handed shot and has gained 180,000 fans in three days – Xinhua English.news.cn

Shandong guy Zhang Gaofeng is on fire. In a newly updated video on the short video platform, Zhang Gaofeng wore the same uniform that Yao Ming wore when he played for the Rockets, with the text “Let’s meet on the court”. Because of his resemblance to Yao Ming, netizens commented that “McGrady rubbed his eyes”, and many netizens even called him “Yao Ming Shandong Fenming”. The unexpected popularity surprised the 30-year-old Zhang Gaofeng this year. He received many private messages in the background, and even some nearby golfers wanted to find him “offline appointments”.

Centers who want to play guards on the court

This guy who looks like Yao Ming is from Jining, Shandong. His name is Zhang Gaofeng, he is 185cm tall, and his current occupation is a restaurant owner.

“My hobby is playing basketball.” Zhang Gaofeng likes to introduce himself in this way. Because he is used to shooting with his left hand, he gave himself a unique ID – “left-handed Yao Ming”, hoping to record his basketball moments through short videos.

Zhang Gaofeng grew up by the Weishan Lake since he was a child. The sports facilities in the village are limited, and there is not even a decent basketball court. In junior high school, he began to come into contact with basketball, but the basketball court is still very simple. “The court is a concrete floor, and there is a basket on the court.” But this did not affect the enthusiasm of the 14-year-old junior high school students to play basketball.

Every day I want to be on the court, Zhang Gaofeng feels that he is obsessed with basketball. He was seriously injured playing basketball twice. In the third year of junior high school, he imitated the action of dunking under the crotch in NBA games. Due to improper operation, he fell and injured his right arm, and his arm hurt for several months, so that his arm still dare not bear too much weight. When he was playing a friendly basketball game in his second year of high school, he slapped his ankle again, and the injury was so severe that he needed massage and osteopathy. “I cried out in pain and said that I would never play again.” But after the injury healed, Zhang Gaofeng returned to the court, and this fight lasted 16 years.

From the beginning of playing, everyone will look at Zhang Gaofeng more on the court. “They all say that I look like Yao Ming.” It is precisely because of his resemblance to Yao Ming that Zhang Gaofeng’s position on the court is always a center. “I actually want to be on the court. Play the defender.” He feels that he is a man forced to play center because of his looks, but this does not affect his love for basketball.

In real life, Zhang Gaofeng is often recognized as Yao Ming, and many teachers and classmates even call him “Little Yao Ming”. Once in the community, someone saw him with a very surprised expression, “Why is Yao Ming here?” Many elementary school students asked him, “Uncle, is your name Yao Ming?” Zhang Gaofeng would explain to them, I just look a bit like Yao Ming. “Actually, the children and the elderly are often asked. Those who really know Yao Ming know that I am not tall enough.”

“Yao Ming is my idol”

Hitting Yao Ming in the face made Zhang Gaofeng feel a little proud, “Because Yao Ming was my idol since childhood, he participated in many competitions on behalf of China.” Zhang Gaofeng believes that he is Yao Ming’s “iron fan” in present words. In every game of Yao Ming, he almost didn’t fall, “Watching the game is rain or shine.” When he was in school, Zhang Gaofeng would always be in the breakfast shop in front of the school, watching the game on the TV. At that time, there were no smartphones, and there were only news broadcasts of the start time of the game. Zhang Gaofeng kept track of the game time with his classmates, and went to the breakfast shop to watch the game as long as the time allowed. “I once got up an hour and a half early to go to school to watch a game.”

The wall of Zhang Gaofeng’s bedroom is covered with posters of Yao Ming’s game. He also bought a sports bracelet of the same style as Yao Ming. “Yao Ming cannot be imitated, and an idol is an idol.” Zhang Gaofeng always felt that he was just a basketball lover, far from a professional basketball player.

Zhang Gaofeng will also imitate some of Yao Ming’s playing movements by watching the game. “Some movements are easy to learn, but some movements are difficult to practice.” Zhang Gaofeng was most impressed by the game between the Chinese men’s basketball team and the US team in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Yao Ming’s first 3-pointer made the Chinese The team took the lead, “That action was very good, it motivated morale, and the blood boiled.” This pitching action, Zhang Gaofeng tried to imitate many times, “but magic footsteps are not easy to learn.”

Left-handed shot, 180,000 followers in three days

Today, Zhang Gaofeng still maintains the frequency of playing three to four times a week. The stadium is 5 kilometers away from home. He arrived at the stadium around 8 pm and played until the stadium lights turned off at 10:30.

Basketball has long been an indispensable part of Zhang Gaofeng’s life. In his opinion, the quality of the ball is the character, and playing basketball can make a lot of players, which is also good for his physical quality. In February of this year, Zhang Gaofeng asked a friend to take a video of himself pitching on the court and posted it on the short video platform, which attracted the attention of many people. But he was really popular when he wore the same uniform that Yao Ming used to play for the Rockets, shot with his left hand, and gained 180,000 fans on the Internet in three days. He is “Yao Ming Shandong distinct”. There are also some old classmates who have not been in touch for a long time, and also call or send text messages to ask if the person in the video is him.

He became popular, followed by private messages and messages from many fans in the backstage. Some people asked if Zhang Gaofeng was the real Yao Ming, others hoped to see him, and there were even people nearby who wanted to “offline a ball” with Zhang Gaofeng. Just two days ago, Zhang Gaofeng had an appointment with his little fan, a fifth-grade elementary school student.

For his popularity, Zhang Gaofeng has a normal heart. “Many people may think that I look like Yao Ming and will pay attention to me. I am more like an idol.” The popularity of the Internet will pass, but for him, playing basketball is his eternal hobby. For his future video shooting, Zhang Gaofeng has no plans or ideas, “I will always insist on playing, and I will also shoot some jokes around basketball.” Zhang Gaofeng feels that basketball is life, and the videos will be shot around basketball, and the videos will try to show interesting things about himself and his friends on the court. (Tian Ruye and Zhang Xikun)

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