(Ecns.cn) -- After a nine-year memorable NBA career, the All-Star center, Yao Ming, announced his retirement at a news conference Wednesday in Shanghai, his hometown and also where his remarkable basketball journey began.
In an eight-minute speech, Yao briefed his basketball journey from a teenager to a professional player. He thanked the sport of basketball, as it not only brought him pleasure and success, but also helped him meet Ye Li, his beloved wife.
Yao, seemingly optimistic, told reporters that “when God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” Though he retired as a professional player, he will never give up basketball. He can still continue his dream in the Shanghai Sharks, a Chinese Basketball Association team based in Shanghai.
Hard choice
Retirement is a hard choice, yet a must, according to Yao. The 31-year-old 7-foot-6 giant has been suffering from an injury in his left foot and ankle for the last two years, which has kept him away from many games. He missed the entire 2009-2010 season and played just five games last season.
The latest injury, instead of improving, is now worsening. Doctors warned that one more injury may have him walking on crutches or sitting in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Yao said his parents had told him early on in his professional career that sooner or later there is going to be an ending. These words helped him prepare for retirement.
New roles
Looking forward, Yao added he will be involved in charity through the Yao Ming Foundation and other businesses with friends.
Yao currently owns the Yao Restaurant & Bar in Houston and the Shanghai Sharks. He has also invested in a music website called top100.cn, and a gym called California Fitness Yao Ming Sports Club.
He revealed at the press conference that he is now planning to get training in college and will likely be involved in more investments in the future.
"Playing basketball is my life-pursuit," said Yao in an exclusive interview after the press conference, adding that he will play a part in training young players and enhancing Chinese basketball teams in terms of skills and overall qualities.
Sweet memories
Yao, born to a well-known basketball family in Shanghai in 1980, started playing for the Shanghai Sharks when he was 13 years old, and played on their senior team in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) at the age of 17, averaging 10 points and 8 rebounds a game in his rookie season. He eventually won a championship in his final year.
In 2002, he was selected by the Houston Rockets as the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. Yao has since been selected to start for the Western Conference in the NBA All-Star Game eight times, and has been named to the All-NBA Team five times.
Speaking of his impressive games, Yao recalled that his debuts in the Shanghai Sharks, Olympic Games, and Houston Rockets were his most unforgettable games.
National icon
With a nine-year glorious career in the NBA, the giant star is the perfect icon to represent an emerging China in sports.
"An athlete's sportsmanship and performance can represent and endorse a country," said Liu Peng, the Chinese sports chief, as he talked to Xinhua about what an athlete could do for the country.
Over nearly a decade, Yao's presence has helped facilitate the NBA's popularity in China and also across the whole of Asia.
"The NBA had long targeted China as a fertile ground to expand the game's global interests. Still, the full potential of the league's popularity there went untapped until Yao's 2002 debut," reported ESPN.
More kids and youngsters have joined basketball teams and some have already become professional players due to Yao's influence.
Yao's 2007 matchup with countryman Yi Jianlian was broadcast over 19 networks and seen in more than 200 million homes in China, cited a CNN report.
Irreplaceable figure
"Yao is a humble and humorous guy," said Daryl Morey, manager of the Houston Rockets. “He is a good leader. Everyone looks up to him. He is not replaceable, and his contributions to the sports are unparalleled,” he added.
To outdo Yao, one would have to be a better NBA core player, lead his team to the finals, and win the champions, commented the Guangzhou Daily.
Talented players like Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue, who have joined the NBA, have not yet achieved as much as Yao has.
At this, Yao explained to a CNN reporter at the press conference that "I myself also followed others' footprints, like Wang Zhizhi. It's about taking some of the legacies from the older players. You get it and spring from that, and then you can always succeed. I believe in the future, there will be many players following our footprints and moving forward, even farther."
