After playing just five games in his eighth NBA season, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming has decided to retire, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.
Yao, the first Chinese NBA star and an eight-time All-Star, was a dominant force when healthy. He was often not healthy, though, as leg injuries caused him to miss 20 or more games in half of his eight NBA seasons.
At 7-foot-6, Yao was the tallest player in the NBA and used his size to impose his will on opponents in the paint. He retires with career averages just shy of a double-double per game: 19.0 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.
