Yao Ming retires

SHANGHAI (AP):

Wracked by injuries that curtailed his playing time in the NBA, Yao Ming called it quits on his basketball career yesterday during a packed news conference in his hometown.

The Houston Rockets centre and No. 1 draft pick in the 2002 NBA draft confirmed weeks of speculation about his retirement by opening with a simple statement: "I will formally end my career."

He promised, though, that he wouldn't stay far away from the sport that made him a household name in China. His impact expanded the NBA's influence into the world's most populous country, creating lucrative merchandise sales for the league and TV ratings that skyrocketed whenever the Rockets played.

The 7-foot-6 (2.29-metre) Yao played eight seasons in the NBA, but missed an estimated 250 regular-season games over the last six years.

"Today is an important day for me and holds a special meaning for both my basketball career and my future," the 30-year-old Yao said in comments translated into English.

Personal decision

A third stress fracture in his left foot at the end of last year virtually took the decision out of his hands.

"My past six months were an agonising wait. I had been thinking (about my future) over and over," he said. "Today I am announcing a personal decision: ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening."

Yao said he will return to work with his former Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks, with the possibility of becoming general manager. He already owns the club and wants to contribute more.

"My playing career started with the club. I hope I can do something for it," Yao said.

He also plans to continue his philanthropic work with his Yao Foundation.

Houston general manager Daryl Morey attended the conference and had to get permission from the NBA to attend the formal farewell as the lockout prohibits contact with players.

Morey said he was tired from the long trip for the media conference but "I would be sorry if I wasn't here."

"It's a big moment," Morey said. "Yao had a sense of humour, a great attitude and sense of working together. I hope we can continue his culture in the NBA."

Globalisation

NBA commissioner David Stern sent a statement describing Yao as a "transformational player and a testament to the globalisation of our game".

"His dominant play and endearing demeanour, along with his extensive humanitarian efforts, have made him an international fan favourite and provided an extraordinary bridge between basketball fans in the United States and China," Stern said.

Yao thanked his family, friends, coaches in China and in Houston and fellow competitors like Shaquille O'Neal (notes) "for making me a better player".

"I will be always with you," he added. "Thank you."

Yao's contract expired after last season, and the Rockets said they were interested in re-signing him if he came back healthy. Yao said in April in China that his professional future depended on his recovery from a stress fracture in his left ankle.

Selected to the NBA All-Star team eight times, Yao averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds. After his rookie season, Yao helped the Rockets reach the play-offs in the next two seasons.

Yao played in 77 games in the 2008-09 season, when Houston reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997.

But Yao broke his left foot in a post-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers, and underwent complex surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2009-10 season. He lasted only five games at the start of the 2010-11 season, before breaking his left ankle. He underwent surgery in January, and was lost again for the season.

Yao had played six years with the Chinese national team before joining the Rockets, and was already a star in his home country.

He carried the Olympic torch through Tiananmen Square and his country's flag during the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.