China's Yao Ming, who opened up the world's most populous country to the NBA and became an Asian sporting icon, officially announced the end of his basketball career Wednesday. The towering 30-year-old had been plagued by foot and ankle injuries toward the end of his eight seasons in the National Basketball Association, playing just five games in the past two seasons for the Houston Rockets. Yao said he had been steeling himself for this day and thanked his family and friends for helping him handle the decision to stop playing. “I am ending my athletic career and am retiring from basketball,” Yao said through an interpreter at a plush Pudong hotel Wednesday. “Basketball has given me so much. It has led me to a bigger and brighter stage to showcase my abilities.” One of Asia's best-known athletes, his retirement conference was attended by more than 200 media personnel, his wife Ye Li and their daughter Amy, NBA China officials and the Rockets' general manager Daryl Morey. China's state broadcaster CCTV carried it live. Yao, who had been widely expected to retire after telling the Rockets he would not be returning, said persistent foot injuries had forced him to retire. “This process has been quite lengthy. I got a lot of support from my family and friends in making this decision,” he added. “When I started playing basketball, my parents told me: ‘Do your best but one day things will have to come to a stop and you have to think about the next step'. “So I have been preparing for this day for 18 years, although today comes a bit fast.” In 2002, the seven foot, six inch (2.30m) Yao became the first international player to be top pick in the NBA draft and wasted no time making an impression with the Rockets with his foot speed, positional play and silky shooting. However, it was the way Yao so easily straddled East and West that appealed to the NBA and its legion of fans, his laconic, easy-going manner and quick wit making people warm to him almost instantly. The NBA also got a foothold in China thanks to Yao and saw a surge in television coverage and apparel sales in the country.
