Basketball star Yao Ming announced his retirement Wednesday after a trailblazing career that made him China's best-known athlete abroad and helped spur the game's global growth.
The towering 2.29m (7ft 6in) star made the announcement, which had been widely expected, during a press conference in his home city of Shanghai after his last two seasons with the Houston Rockets were dogged by injuries. Yao joined the Rockets as the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft amid scepticism about whether the signature product of China's massive state sports system would ever earn the affection of the league's fans.

Yao’s farewell conference was attended by Houston general manager Daryl Morey.