Basketball star Yao Ming announced his retirement on July 20th of 2011 after a great career that made him China's best­known athlete and helped improve the game's global growth.

　　The 2.26m star said，"Today I announce a personal decision.I'm officially retiring and ending my career as a basketball player.The retirement means one door has been closed for me，but a new one has opened to a whole new life outside for me to enjoy.Though I'll leave the sporting arena(竞技场)，I'm not leaving basketball."

　　No professional athlete hasn't got hurt，and Yao，is no difference.Unfortunately for the big man，the old saying，"the bigger they are，the harder they fall，" was true for his NBA career.Along the way，Yao picked up knock after knock but kept working hard and this helped to make him a fan favorite.However，in the end，the stress was too much for his body to take.

　　Yao said he planned to keep developing his role as the owner of the Shanghai Sharks，the team where he started his professional career and which he bought in 2009.Yao joined the Rockets as the first pick in the 2002 NBA games.He won over Americans and became a national model in China through his strong play，his grace and self­confidence.He was not China's first player in the NBA，but he was certainly the best­known.

"I would like to thank you for giving me a great nine­year career，" he said."Nine years ago I came to Houston as a young，tall，thin player and the city and the team changed me into a grown man，not only a basketball player...I'm leaving the basketball court but I am not leaving the game.I'll do my best to bring honor and glory to my hometown and to Chinese basketball."