CHN – Everyone salutes the great Yao

GENEVA (FIBA) - Tributes have been pouring in from all over the world for Yao Ming following the China center’s announcement on Wednesday that he has retired as a professional basketball player.

The 30-year-old decided to call it quits because of the serious injuries that had kept him off the court in recent seasons.

Patrick Baumann, FIBA Secretary General and International Olympic Committee member, praised Yao.

“First of all, we should congratulate Yao on a terrific career that has unfortunately been cut short by injury,” Baumann said.

“Representing China at three Olympics and two FIBA World Championships, he has been a wonderful ambassador for his country, for basketball and beyond.

“It’s a sad time because no one wants to see Yao stop playing.

“We’ll never forget his recovery from an injury in time to represent his country at the Beijing Games because that was a testament to his determination, and desire to put on the China shirt.

“One of the enduring memories of the 2008 Olympics will be the sight of Yao carrying the Chinese flag and leading his nation’s athletes into the Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremonies.

“I hope Yao remains involved in basketball because his presence will only be beneficial in every regard.”

NBA Commissioner David Stern also spoke of Yao, the first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft who played his entire NBA career with the Houston Rockets.

“Yao has been without question a transformational player for our league,” Stern said.

“And a source of enormous pride to the people of China, and the people of Chinese descent in the United States.”

Stern described Yao as “talented, (one with a) good sense of humor, hardworking, humanitarian-focused player” and said he did “so much for so many people, particularly for the growth of basketball.”

Yao was one of the most popular athletes at the Beijing Games and so was his NBA colleague, Kobe Bryant of Team USA.

The two players squared off on numerous occasions with Yao's Houston Rockets going up against Bryant's Lakers.

Bryant, who is in China on a promotional tour, said: "In terms of opening up doors for Chinese basketball players to come to the NBA, or for the youth here in China to believe that it’s possible to achieve the dream of being an NBA player, all that started from Yao.

"The movement that started in the NBA of the influx of European players coming to the NBA was started by Vlade Divac, Dino Radja and those guys.

"Even that movement didn’t have the impact and magnitude that Yao Ming has had.

"And on top of that, he’s just a heck of a basketball player to boot."

Yao made a good impression on Shaquille O'Neal, too.

"What made him a special player is one time he had me on the post and he turned around to shoot a fade-away and I jumped as high as I could and he still had about three feet left," Shaq said in one video interview on NBA.com.

"I was like, 'Dang, this dude is tall. The first time I played against him I was like, 'Okay, you know what? This guy is tall. I've got to take it to his head. So I went with an oopsie-doo finger roll and he blocked my first three shots.' And I was like, 'Now, I've got to do something else.’

"He was very agile, he could play inside, play outside. If he hadn't had those injuries, he probably would have been up there as one of the top five centers ever to play the game."

Shaq, who also just retired last month at the age of 40, also had video on twitter.

"I'm going to miss you bro," O'Neal said in the video message.

"You're one of the greatest players to come out of China. One of the greatest players, period. I'm going to miss you brother.

"Enjoy your time, let's go on vacation bro, me and you."

Some of Yao's former Rockets teammates tweeted about his retirement.

"Sad day for the NBA. Sad day for basketball around the globe. My teammate and great friend Yao Ming is retiring," former Rocket Tracy McGrady tweeted.

"I loved playing with Yao!"

Another former Rocket, Shane Battier, said to the Houston Chronicle: "He's one of the few guys that I'll be proud to tell my grandkids I played with. Top-to-bottom, from the first day I met Yao to the last I played with him, he was nothing less than a superstar should be.

"He was the hardest worker ever for a superstar and had tremendous compassion for his teammates. He truly felt happiness and joy when teammates had success. I can't think of a superstar who had those two qualities."

Another Rockets teammate, Chuck Hayes, said Yao was a mega-star.

"Michael Jackson was before my time," Hayes told the Chronicle.

"Elvis (Presley) was before my time. But if I had to guess, it was like being around Yao Ming. He was big.

"Everyone wanted to see him. He graced us with his presence in the NBA. It was unbelievable. It was great."

Yao's former China teammate Li Nan said: "I heard Yao was retiring.

"Thirty-one is not a very old age. He was plagued by injuries."

China boss Bob Donewald coached Shanghai Sharks, the CBA team owned by Yao.

The American says he hasn't given up hope that Yao would still play for the national team.

"By now, everyone has seen the news that Yao has retired. The NBA is losing a great Star," he said.

"Fingers crossed we are not done seeing him in the Team China Jersey!"

One thing is certain and that is Yao will remain involved in basketball.

“I am really very happy that we’ll be working with Yao to continue the growth of basketball in China,” Stern said to NBA.com.

“He was iconic in the United States. He is iconic in China. He is committed to the growth of basketball, particularly at the grass roots level but also at the professional level through his ownership interest in the Shanghai Sharks.

“So for us, it’s really not a complete good-bye and I’m so happy to say that we are looking forward to working with Yao in the next stage of his life and the next stage of his basketball life.”

FIBA