HOUSTON — Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, the top overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft, will retire after struggling with foot and ankle injuries in recent years, according to multiple reports Friday.
The seven-foot-six native of Shanghai, China, has notified both the league office and the Rockets, according to Yahoo! Sports. Yao was set to become a free agent this summer, but had said he wanted to return to the Rockets.
The 30-year-old missed all of the 2009-10 season after breaking his left foot in the 2009 playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Rockets had planned to limit his minutes last season to keep him healthy, but Yao was found to have a stress fracture in his left ankle that knocked him out for the season after just five games.
At the time, the Rockets’ team doctor Walter Lowe, said Yao would always be at risk to suffer stress fractures in his foot if he continued playing basketball.
An eight-time All-Star, Yao leaves the game with a career average of 19 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocks, with a field-goal percentage of 52.4.
“If he was never injured, he would have been one of the greatest centers ever,” said Rafer Alston, a point guard for the Rockets from 2005-09. “You can’t guard him. You had to foul him. He’s 7-6, so he has a height advantage. He had the jump hook over the shoulder. If he was healthy we would have gone far.”
Shaquille O’Neal, who retired last month, also paid tribute to his fellow big man.
“Yao Ming, it’s your good friend, Shaq. We’re gonna miss you bro,” said O’Neal in a video posted on his Twitter feed. “You’re one of the greatest players to ever come out of China, one of the greatest players period. Enjoy retirement, let’s go on vacation, me and you.”
Though he never reached his full potential on the court, Yao left an indelible mark on the NBA as one of the central figures in helping the league expand its popularity around the world.