NBA icon Yao Ming announces his retirement – An era comes to an end: NBA Special Report
So it is official, the great Yao Ming has finally decided to call it a day and has announced his official resignation not only from NBA, but basketball itself. This news came about on Wednesday at a press conference in Shanghai.
After suffering from stress fracture in his left foot for the third time in his career, Yao Ming explained that he had to make a tough decision. “The past six months were an agonizing wait. I have been thinking (about my future)
over and over”, said the former Houston Rockets star Center.
Yao Ming has had 26 screws placed in his left foot. Although, the news has been received with immense sorrow, what is even sadder about this retirement is that it came at the mild age of 30. Most players reach their peaks around
this point in their careers.
An injury forced retirement has made this story harder to swallow for most NBA fans, especially those in China.
There has been a plethora of emotional responses from Yao’s Chinese fans. The Chinese version of Twitter i.e. Weibo, has been loaded with praises for the 7’6” giant and most people have marked it as the end of an era.
There is no doubt that Yao has played a focal role in helping the game reach newer and farther heights. Not only was Yao a Chinese icon in the NBA, his statistics made him stand out as one of the best players in the league.
He spent eight seasons in NBA, where he started off as the top overall pick during the 2002 draft, an honour very few outsiders have been able to achieve so far. Beyond that, he lived up to everyone’s expectations by putting averages
of 19 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.
If these statistics still cast a shadow of doubt in anyone’s mind, then Yao Ming’s eight time All Star appearance might go some distance in alleviating those doubts.
"His contributions to the NBA cannot be overstated. He is such a huge man and on top of that, he is a phenomenal player," stated Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, who is himself on a trip to China.
Yao also showed tremendous loyalty towards his home country. He took the Chinese national team to new heights and under his leadership; China reached the Olympic Quarterfinals twice in ten years.
Apart from his exceptional talent, he contributed to the game in more than just one way. Because of Yao, the Chinese NBA fan base rocketed to 1.3 billion people, which lead to the establishment of NBA China and further media contracts.
As of now, China stands as the largest market for NBA outside of the USA. Nearly 30 million viewers and around $160 million were generated from China every year while Yao was at it, and NBA has a lot of thanking to do.
However, Yao Ming’s exit from the NBA will probably mean loss of viewership in China and will certainly affect the NBA’s revenues. Though on the plus side, many Chinese youngsters have earned a hero to look up to in the form of
Yao Ming.
"Yao is a polite, well-educated young person, who is the pride of China, is China's best gift to give the NBA," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. He has also gained immense praise for his philanthropic nature.
Yao Ming certainly created a bridge between China and the USA and created a perfect blend of the Eastern and Western cultures. After quitting Basketball, Yao has decided to take up the responsibility of coaching his former team,
the Shanghai Sharks.
Nevertheless an era has ended with his retirement and Yao humble demeanours and gritty play will forever be remembered.
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