National Basketball Association

Report: Yao retiring after eight seasons

Published Jul. 8, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Houston Rockets star Yao Ming will hold a news conference on July 20 in his hometown of Shanghai, with Yahoo! reporting that the center will officially announce his retirement.

Injuries to Yao's left foot and ankle have reportedly forced a premature end to the 7-foot-6 star's career.

Yao, 30, was drafted by the Rockets with the first pick in 2002. He has played in 486 games throughout his NBA career and was chosen to play in the All-Star game eight times.

He did not play at all during the 2009-10 season and he played in only five games this past season.

Yao's representatives issued a release Saturday that said Yao would meet with the media in 11 days in his hometown, with NBA sources confirming it would be to announce his retirement.

Dr. Tom Clanton, former team physician of the Rockets and now director of the foot and ankle sports medicine division with the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo., operated on Yao's foot and ankle five times, most recently in January.

He said news of Yao's retirement "should not be surprising to anyone," adding, "If he decides he does not want to continue playing at the NBA level, I think that's certainly a reasonable decision for someone who has gone through multiple injuries that have been season-ending."

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