Welcome to the First Electric Dreams Asian American Athlete Draft! A fantasy exercise where 3 General Managers face off to construct their ideal 5-man lineup of the greatest Asian American Athletes of the modern era. The premise is simple: our GMs will take turns picking in snake draft order who they think are the greatest Asian American athletes.
The rules:
Modern: The player has to have played professionally in the last 20 years.
Professional: The player must have competed as a professional athlete. as of August 2020
Diverse: Each team must have at least one athlete who competed in a team sport and one athlete who competed in an individual sport.
Now, let’s get to know our GMs:
Picking first is… Sean Niu! To the surprise of no one, the author and owner of this draft has given himself the first overall pick, putting himself in pole position to dictate the message and direction of this creative exercise.
In second is… Kamala Harris! Fast off of her nomination as the first Asian American Vice President candidate, she continues her momentum by participating in this incredibly important and popular event. What a week it’s been for Kamala as she looks to charm the Asian American voters and kick Trump out of office.
Finally, our third participant is…my god, is that Bruce Lee? Somehow Bruce, the most celebrated Asian American athlete of all time has made a surprise appearance from the hereafter for this draft! Incredible! I’m sure the athletes will be eager to be drafted by Bruce and be mentored by this legend of legends.
Now that we’ve met our GMs, let’s get right into the draft.
1st Round
Sean: With the number one overall pick of the Electric Dreams Modern Asian American Athlete draft…. I’m picking my fellow Taiwanese-American, NBA point guard Jeremy Lin. What else did you expect? I’m a little biased, but Jeremy Lin checks all the boxes. 10 years on, Linsanity is still the most electric and feel good stretch of play involving an Asian American athlete. But before the euphoria, Jeremy was already breaking barriers as the first modern Asian American NBA player (shout out to Wat Misaka) whose journey to NBA success included overcoming well-documented racial abuse. Andrew and I praised him in Episode 21 for not only overcoming racial stereotypes but also embracing the mantle as an Asian American icon. No matter how much love he might get from our community, responsibly repping Asian America surely was an added responsibility that most NBA players don’t encounter when they’re trying to prove they belong in the League. Although not as dominant in his sport as later picks, Jeremy still carved out an excellent career as a constantly dangerous offensive weapon and on the ball threat, and his effort was recently rewarded when he became the first Asian American NBA champion. Finally, his Chinese heritage and breakthrough in one of the fastest growing global sports means he is one of the most impactful stars on this list. Combining all these factors, I’m thrilled to pick him first overall. (Jeremy also formed the first Asian American starting backcourt in NBA history when he played with Jordan Clarkson on the Lakers)
Kamala: Well, in that case, I am delighted to pick my fellow bi-racial superstar, Thai-American golfer Tiger Woods! Honestly I’m surprised he fell to me at second. The #1 overall pick in Dave Chappelle’s Race Draft, he’s a steal at #2. We all know he’s the modern golf GOAT, and with a Masters win last year his redemption arc is virtually complete. I really don’t think I need to say more about Tiger. His game and legacy speaks for itself.
Bruce: Good choice Kamala. Greatness should be recognized. Like Tiger, my pick is also one of the greatest at his sport. He also made the wise choice to pursue a career in film as well. I pick Samoan-American wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
…What? The judges are telling me wrestling isn’t a sport anymore? What the hell is the WWF? Actors? That’s ridiculous. No problem. I can be like water. I will change my pick to Chinese-American figure skater Michelle Kwan, the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history. Unfortunate she never won a Gold, but she dominated figure skating for over a decade. Her later involvement in politics as a public policy ambassador bridging ages, genders, and nationalities is an added dimension that I want in all my great Asian American athletes.
2nd Round
With the first pick of the second round, I’m choosing Samoan American NFL safety Troy Polamalu. One of the greatest defensive players of his generation, 2x champion, a true fearsome warrior and icon for one of the most storied franchises in America’s most popular sport. He also commercialized his hair in one one of the most memorable commercial series starring a football player.
Kamala: Thank you Bruce for letting this pick drop to me, as I’m delighted to choose Japanese American tennis player Naomi Osaka. Don’t worry. I checked with the judges. Even though she gave up her US citizenship to play for Japan in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, she deserves to be here. Naomi grew up in a multicultural household in New York speaking 3 languages, you can’t get more American than that. Although she’s only 22 she already has 2 grand slams and is the first Asian American to hold the #1 rank in singles. A quick browse through her Twitter feed easily lets you know she speaks her own damn mind and is constantly advocating for female empowerment and racial justice.
Sean: Kamala, I think you got a steal there. hopefully the future is full of global citizen stars like Naomi. I’m going to follow your pick with another young star—Korean American snowboarder Chloe Kim. Chloe is the youngest woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal in snowboarding and first halfpipe champion in all 4 major events. She’s only 20, continues to rack up firsts for women in snowboarding feats, and is set up to be a young GOAT in her sport.
Third Round
To start the third round I’m following Bruce’s cue and taking Troy’s former teammate, Korean American NFL wide receiver Hines Ward. Hines is the first and only Asian-American to win the Super Bowl MVP— meaning he was the best player in the most important sporting event in America. Talk about having an impact on the field. Hines leveraged his success and fame into advocating for acceptance of foreigners in Korea— especially mixed race individuals like himself. Barack Obama also appointed him on the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders… a commission that I didn’t know existed…but that’s cool! Who knew the mid 00s Steelers was Asia America’s team?
Kamala: Not me! Always been a Niners fan. I’m also going to use this opportunity to pick from another of my favorite teams and choose Filipino American MLB pitcher Tim Lincecum. I’ll never forget the 3 World Series championships he brought to San Francisco and his dominant run that earned him multiple Cy Young awards while I was attorney general.
Bruce: Baseball is still America’s pastime right?…. right? Well at least it looks like martial arts and combat sports have taken off in America. I’m pleased to take the first martial artist off the board by choosing Korean-American mixed martial artist BJ Penn. BJ caught my eye with his reputation as a quick learner— he earned his black belt in BJJ in only 3 years and then quickly became the first American to gold medal at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. More famously he later established himself as one of the best lightweight fighters in the world and one of the only fighters to win titles in multiple weight classes. He was one of the initial inductees of the Modern Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. Great to see another Asian American excel at martial arts.
Fourth Round
For my fourth pick, I’m going back to dominant athletes on ice and picking Japanese-American inline skater Apollo Ohno. He is the youngest skater to win a World Cup event title, the first American to win a World Cup overall title, and is the most decorated athlete in Winter Olympics history. Bar none. Picking one of the greatest athletes in the Olympics in round 4 seems like a steal to me, and a big W for Asian Americans. Apollo continued to extend his presence in the American eye by competing and winning the 4th season of Dancing with the Stars. I have a soft spot for multi-disciplinary excellence.
Kamala: Bruce, a lot has changed in the last 40 years. Football is America’s pastime now, and it’s time for me to pick an athlete from our most loved sport… and I select Chinese-American NFL safety Patrick Chung. He’s played a key role in pass defense of the most consistently dominant team in American sports of the last 20 years… the New England Patriots. Patrick has helped the Patriots win 3 of the last 6 Super Bowls…and I. pick. winners.
Sean: Asian Americans appear to dominate at football and ice skating. That makes a lot of sense. I’m going to continue the run of famous Asian-American football stars because 1. It really is our favorite sport by a wide margin and 2. It’s the pinnacle of testosterone-fueled masculinity. Our successful presence in the NFL across multiple positions is a direct middle finger to the meek Asian male stereotype. With a nod to Korean-American Kyler Murray, Tongan-American Haloti Ngata, Vietnamese-American Dat Nguyen, and Chinese-American Taylor Rapp, I’m going to pick Samoan-American NFL quarterback Marcus Mariota simply because Quarterback is THE alpha dog position in football, and arguably across all sports. To be a successful quarterback in today’s NFL you have to be athletic, skilled, and also charismatic as hell to earn the respect of your team. Quarterbacks are also the most famous players in the NFL and often the only recognizable faces for the casual fan. While Kyler has a higher ceiling, Marcus has a longer track record— including success in the playoffs— while matching Kyler’s college achievements by winning his own Heisman. Even if Mariota’s career has sputtered recently, he’s still young enough to make a resurgence. When Asian Americans bring up NFL players, they often cite Dat—maybe that’s because Dat is very visibly East Asian while you can tell the other guys are mixed race or are Pacific Islanders. A hall of fame-level asian af-looking hall of fame-level quarterback would truly shatter the stereotype: Marcus doesn’t quite check the box, but he is progress.
Fifth Round
And with my last pick, I’m going to pick our first soccer star. This was not an easy choice— but I’m picking Chinese-American MLS forward Brian Ching. I really wanted to pick our first Vietnamese-American Lee Nguyen here, and Lee did have a greater regular season peak, (having scored the most goals from a midfielder and named 1 of 3 finalists for the 2014 MLS MVP award) but Brian is a veritable MLS legend. His club success far exceeds Lee’s, winning 3 MLS Cups and being named MVP for one of those championships. Brian is also the all time leading scorer for the Houston Dynamo. Equally as important is Brian’s international record, where he has represented the USMNT in the World Cup and scored in qualifiers. He’s the only Asian American drafted so far that has represented America in a “team” sport. (Unless you want to count the Ryder Cup) Soccer is the world’s most popular sport, and is a sport where our perceived shortcomings (namely height) shouldn’t hinder how scouts evaluate Asian Americans. An Asian-American soccer star helping Pulisic lead the USMNT to real international success would be a dream come true.
Kamala: With the final pick for Team Kamala, I’m going with a woman who pushed the gender boundaries of her sport—Korean-American golfer Michelle Wie. While Korean ladies from South Korea dominate the LPGA and have accumulated more accolades than Michelle, many cite her as inspiration for her willingness to challenge in the PGA tour. She never reached her projected ceiling, but still won a major in 2014 and deserves to be recognized for helping other women dream bigger.
Bruce: And to finish my team, I’m picking an athlete from another untouched sport: Chinese-American swimmer Nathan Adrian. Not only is he a decorated warrior in the pool, winning 5 gold medals across 3 Olympics as an anchor for the men’s relay team, but he also has overcome great adversity in his fight with testicular cancer. After his diagnosis, he went on to win more medals in the World Championships and plans to qualify for Tokyo.
Well, there you have it folks. The First Electric Dreams Asian American Athlete draft is over. Let’s see the teams and hear from our GMs:
Team Sean:Jeremy Lin, Chloe Kim, Hines Ward, Marcus Mariota, Brian Ching
My team has legends, new superstars, and most importantly—Asian faces in some of the most important positions in American sports: NBA guards and NFL quarterbacks.
Team Kamala: Tiger Woods, Naomi Osaka, Tim Lincecum, Patrick Chung, Michelle Wie
My team features people from all over Asia and the world— as well as activists and trail blazers fighting gender boundaries as well as Asian stereotypes. Oh did I mention I have Tiger Woods?
Team Bruce: Michelle Kwan, Troy Polamalu, BJ Penn, Apollo Ohno, Nathan Adrian
My team dominates on ice, on the field, in the arena, and in the water. Everyone of my selections is or will be in the hall of fame of their sport. What better way to celebrate Asian American greatness than to show we can succeed in any environment?
Honorable Mentions that just missed the cut: Johnny Chan (Poker), Johnny Damon (MLB), Rickie Fowler (PGA), Cung Le (MMA), Nathan Chen (Figure Skating), Shibutani Twins (Figure Skating), Tua Tagovailoa (College Football), Justin Wong (eSports)
Who do you think won?
Ep. 21: The First Electric Dreams Asian American Athlete Draft