Yao Ming retires from the NBA

[InspiredLebowski]

Originally Posted by Droid101

I don't think so, wasn't Yao a free agent anyway? It's not like they were going to pay big money to re-sign him.

Yeah, just looked it up, he was a FA so no money saved. Good.

[kaiteng]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jss1xEzh5b4

Yao: "YOU CAN'T ****ING STOP ME!!"
Deke: "DANG!!"

[chris2010]

he was my 1st favorite nba player. His jersey was the 1st i ever gotten.

[InspiredLebowski]

So how much blame does China take for running him into the ground?

[pete's montreux]

Originally Posted by rezznor

naaa, Kobe is more popular then Yao in China

LOL really? Yao still got like...millions of all-star votes every year even when he didn't play, and that definitely wasn't Houston fans...

[kaiteng]

Originally Posted by InspiredLebowski

So how much blame does China take for running him into the ground?

Kinda. Yao "chose" to participate. Some are questionable choices i.e. Asian Games, but yeah he is "patriotic".

[Crown&Coke]

Originally Posted by InspiredLebowski

So how much blame does China take for running him into the ground?

all of it. Made in China isn't something I like seeing on my stuff I want to keep for a long time.

Yao did all he could for them, and they still wanted more more more. I wonder if they will now claim his daughter just for the hell of it

[rezznor]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv9gF...eature=related


I hate it when promising careers get cut short.

[rezznor]

Originally Posted by pete's montreux

LOL really? Yao still got like...millions of all-star votes every year even when he didn't play, and that definitely wasn't Houston fans...

don't get me wrong, Yao is popular...but Kobe's is the #1 selling jersey in China

[ProfessorMurder]

RG on suicide watch.

[Crown&Coke]

Originally Posted by rezznor

don't get me wrong, Yao is popular...but more Kobe's is the #1 selling jersey in China

I still think Yao is more popular there though. But Kobe did cause a frenzy when he went out there. Kobe has a great fan base in Spain but I think Pau is more popular there too. People tend to love their fellow country men. But Kobe got mad reach though so I wouldn't surprise me if you are right.

[rezznor]

Originally Posted by Crown&Coke

I still think Yao is more popular there though. But Kobe did cause a frenzy when he went out there. Kobe has a great fan base in Spain but I think Pau is more popular there too. People tend to love their fellow country men. But Kobe got mad reach though so I wouldn't surprise me if you are right.

Kobe is big all over the globe.

That includes China, where for the fourth year in a row he tops the league in jersey sales, according to the league.

Rounding out the top five are LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Garnett, and Derrick Rose. The next five are Chris Paul, Paul Pierce, Deron Williams, Ray Allen and Kevin Durant.

This is the first time Yao Ming has not been in the top 10. He is coming off a season where he did not play due to his foot injury.

Kobe has a big presence in China, having made trips there in the summer for years now, promotional efforts with Nike. Kobe also has a separate charitable foundation he set up just to donate money to causes in China.

Plus, culturally, winning titles matters. It is what keeps Kobe ahead of LeBron in China. For now.

The NBA will be bringing its game to China for the first time this preseason, with Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets taking on the New Jersey Nets in Beijing on Oct. 13, then again at the Guangzhou International

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...rsey-in-china/

[d.bball.guy]

Sad news not to see him play again after the injury.

[Crown&Coke]

Originally Posted by rezznor

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.c...rsey-in-china/

I will slap myself now

[Kurosawa0]

It sucks that he'll be remembered mostly just for being Chinese and being hurt all the time. He was one of the most skilled bigs ever. Yao should've been the next center to dominate ala Hakeem and Shaq.