What is the grudge between Yao Ming and his mentor Li Qiuping?

Yao Ming plays a pivotal role in history, both as an NBA player and as a Chinese player.

In 1995, the CBA was still in the era of being dominated by the Bayi Team. 36-year-old Li Qiuping began to take charge. The new head coach and the new team wanted to be informed by the Bayi Team. Getting ahead is even more difficult. Li Qiuping is known as "Little Zhuge". Li Qiuping is passionate and hopes to overthrow the Bayi team and lead the Shanghai team to the top.

Li Qiuping had coached Yao Ming in the youth team. Li Qiuping was also looking to select a cornerstone for the team. Yao Ming was already 2.23 meters tall at the time. He knew very well that Yao Ming was extremely talented and a pillar of talent. In 1996, Li Qiuping decided to recruit 16-year-old Yao Ming into the Shanghai team despite everyone's opposition. Treating a 16-year-old as the cornerstone of a team? Director Li and Yao Ming have both become jokes in the eyes of others.

Yao Ming and Director Li shattered everyone's doubts. After five seasons of training and running-in, the Shanghai team has long been a strong team in the league, and Yao Ming has long become the best player in the CBA.

In the 2002 CBA Finals, Shanghai faced the Bayi Team. Yao Ming averaged 41.3 points, 21 rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game, leading Shanghai to defeat the invincible Bayi Team. Winning the championship title, writing his own chapter, fulfilling Director Li's dream of becoming a champion, and fulfilling the dream of the entire city of Shanghai.

We all know the story after the season. Yao Ming went to the NBA to continue his dream as the No. 1 pick, and Li Qiuping continued to coach the Shanghai team.

In 2009, Yao Ming retired from the NBA. With his unfinished ideals in mind, Yao Ming returned to China and took over the Shanghai team. The Shanghai team has not produced results for a year or two, and Yao Ming is also determined to change the Shanghai team. When Yao Ming returns from the NBA, the team building ideas and concepts he has experienced and understood must be more advanced than those in China. After all, the NBA is still the world's number one basketball league. Then, Li Qiuping was removed from his position as head coach. Yao Ming, noting the deep relationship between master and apprentice, gave Director Li the role of general advisor. Director Li eventually left the Shanghai team on his own. He left the old team he had led for 13 years. Many people also gave Yao Ming the reputation of "killing the donkey".

Later, Dayao had a lot of private communication with his mentor. Coach Li also understood what Dayao wanted to do. Indeed, under the leadership of Yao Ming, the Shanghai Men’s Basketball Team reached the playoffs. Got good results. But Coach Li suddenly reluctantly left the team he treated like a child, and felt a little uncomfortable.

In the 17-18 season, Yao Ming transferred to the Shanghai team due to identity issues. Coach Li Qiuping and Liu Wei also returned to the Shanghai team. Maybe this was fate.