Houston Rockets center Yao Ming retired today, making the announcement in his native country, China.  The 7-foot-6 Yao averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds and shot 52.4% from the field for his career and is a cult hero in China.

But he played only five games last season with ankle injuries. He did not play at all in the 2009-10 season. Yao, 30, was the No. 1 overall pick in 2002 by the Rockets.