8:14 AM
Oft-injured Houston Rockets center Yao Ming has officially retired from basketball, unable to continue his sometimes brilliant, but more often than not injury-plagued career.
Shanghai, China (Sports Network) - Oft-injured Houston Rockets center Yao Ming has officially retired from basketball, unable to continue his sometimes brilliant, but more often than not injury-plagued career.
The Chinese star announced his retirement Wednesday during a news conference in his hometown of Shanghai, thanking the city of Houston for "a great nine years."
"Nine years ago I came to Houston as Yao, tall, skinny player," he said. "The entire city and the team changed me to a grown man, not only as a basketball player. I feel also like I'm an Houstonian and I will always be with you."
His retirement was, of course, not unexpected.
News of it leaked weeks ago after the 7-foot-6 center informed the NBA league office and the Rockets that he was walking away from the game that made him a worldwide star.
He was set to become a free agent once the league's lockout ends after earning $93 million dollars over his career with the Rockets.
And what a unique career it was.
At his best, Yao was one of the game's top big men thanks to an amazing skill set for a player of his size. He possessed a deft touch around the basket and an extremely soft jumper, although he never developed into a truly dominant player thanks in large part to injuries.
"Thinking back, and thinking of the future, I've been very grateful," Yao said. "Basketball has brought happiness to many people, including myself."
His popularity made him an eight-time All-Star, but those injuries turned him into a sometimes cautionary tale.
After missing just two games out of 246 in his first three NBA seasons, Yao was forced to sit out of 250 of a possible 492 games dating back to 2005-06 with an assortment of leg and foot ailments.
He missed all but five games over the past two seasons, including the entire 2009-10 season.
Yao, 30, had a season-ending procedure to repair a stress fracture in his left ankle on January 6 and said through a translator at his news conference that it forced him to retire.
"Today I need to make a personal decision ... I will stop my basketball career," Yao said, delivering the news. "I will formally retire."
Still, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2002 finished his NBA career with good numbers, averaging 19.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks in 486 games.
Yao's success on the floor was dwarfed in comparison to his impact on the league's explosion overseas.
The NBA and its players can look to him as the driving force behind all the revenue made while selling the game in China, home of the globe's fastest- growing economy.
Yao said Wednesday that he would work for his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, possibly as general manager.
"Since I'm retiring, one door is closed, but there will be new doors opening," Yao said. "A new life is waiting for me. I left the basketball field, but I will not leave basketball. I am trying to manage this team and bring happiness to the fans."
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