Yao Ming made his retirement official on Wednesday, nearly two weeks after it was first reported. The 7-foot-6 center held a press conference in Shanghai, China, to announce his decision.
Yao Ming Retirement Now Official After Shanghai Press Conference
Unfortunately, because the big man was such an exceptional talent, Yao chalked his too-soon retirement up to the many injuries he suffered during his brief NBA career.
“At the end of the last year, my left foot had a third fracture,” Yao said. “Today, I need to make a personal decision. I will stop my basketball career and I will formally retire. Today, thinking back and thinking of the future, I have been very grateful. First of all, I need to be grateful to basketball. It has brought happiness to many people including myself.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Yao will not leave Houston — where he played his entire career with the Rockets — and has offers from both the Rocket and NBA commissioner David Stern to continue working in basketball.
“I’m utterly thrilled that we’re contemplating working with Yao as we continue to grow the sport of basketball,” Stern said. “We have a full force in China. We think Yao is equally committed. I think we’ll find ways to work together. We know him and we know his hopes for Chinese basketball.”
As much as Yao did to bridge the gap between China and the NBA during his playing career, there’s no telling what he might be able to accomplish while focusing on it full time now that he’s retired.
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