July 27, 2010 12:00 pm  |  44 Comments

Yao Ming: ‘I Might Choose to Call it Quits’


Yao tells the Xinhua News Agency that his career may come to a sad end if his surgically-repaired foot doesn’t fully heal. The AP has the report: “In wide-ranging comments to Chinese state media on Monday, Yao sounded far from optimistic about his future and also made a rare criticism of China’s national basketball program. ‘If the foot injury does not heal next season, I might choose to call it quits,’ Yao said. Yao missed last season following foot surgery, but is set to return to the Rockets after deciding not to opt out of the final year of his contract. Though he has said his recovery was going well, the Rockets have signed 7-foot veteran Brad Miller to share the work at center. The 7-foot-6 Yao, who was in his native China for a series of charity events, all but ruled out playing for his country in the 2012 London Olympics. ‘The chance (to play in London) is very small. The foot injury will not allow me to play so many games anymore,’ Yao was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency. ‘Like I said before, I will quit the national team and the sport one day. It’s what happens to every athlete.’”

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  • Eboy Posted: Jul.27 at 12:11 pm
    Damn Yao.

  • unrel Posted: Jul.27 at 12:13 pm
    health is always first.. but that would suck watching his career end this early..

  • IAMORANGE4EVER Posted: Jul.27 at 12:18 pm
    Yao’s feet just can’t handle 82 games.

  • mike Posted: Jul.27 at 12:31 pm
    heard a while back that this guy’s feet bleed after every game…that’s how bad it is

  • riggs Posted: Jul.27 at 12:38 pm
    send him to the miracle workers in phoenix

  • Darksaber Posted: Jul.27 at 12:41 pm
    Damn….

  • Gerard Himself Posted: Jul.27 at 1:03 pm
    Damn it.

  • dez Posted: Jul.27 at 1:11 pm
    first bradley, now yao? whose going to be left to dunk on?

  • AL29 Posted: Jul.27 at 1:38 pm
    That’s really sad… he’s a classy guy and a great player, but as has been said, he cannot last a full season. I think Mark Eaton was the only guy 7″4 or bigger who was actually durable.

  • L Posted: Jul.27 at 1:45 pm
    The Great Wall of Yao is falling? Damn…

  • lou Posted: Jul.27 at 1:56 pm
    Rik Smits had a great career but was also plagued by foot problems, not as bad as this though.

  • Ronald Posted: Jul.27 at 2:04 pm
    @Dez: You seriously putting Shawn Bradley and Yao in the same sentence?

  • a_whiteman Posted: Jul.27 at 2:16 pm
    I can only remember seeog yao get dunked on a handful of times, and no one gave it to him badder then stromile swift with 2 hands…when I saw that slamadamonth I immdiately cut it on the book and put it on my wall.

  • a_whiteman Posted: Jul.27 at 2:19 pm
    Cut it out* I hope he will be able to continue though, always has been nice just gets hurt.

  • T-Money Posted: Jul.27 at 2:20 pm
    Yeah, for some reason 7′2 seems to be the cut-off mark. Seems like all bigs that are taller than 7′2 are plagued by injuries throughout their careers. Smits, Sabonis, Yao, Bradley, Bol, Z (he lost damn near 4 years), Sampson.

  • Clay Posted: Jul.27 at 2:37 pm
    This is too bad. Yao is the best center in the league when he’s on the court. Maybe Yao should try the shape-up shoes or at least do something different.

  • Jukai Posted: Jul.27 at 3:01 pm
    AL92: Eaton’s legs weren’t that great when he hit his 30s. Sure, he played almost every game, but he didn’t really do things like ‘jump’ during those days.

  • Jukai Posted: Jul.27 at 3:02 pm
    On note of the topic, yeah, this is pretty awful. Yao had the talent to be a top-10 all-time force. His size wasn’t bad either.

  • LD Posted: Jul.27 at 3:30 pm
    Yao is a great guy and it is sad that he can’t go on for too much longer. He seemed to be pulled away and used by so many people. I think his sweet personality made it hard for him to say no to these people and he suffered for it. Although, he did mean a lot to more people than most basketball players could ever imagine bieng.

  • asmaticasiatic2 Posted: Jul.27 at 4:02 pm
    Man, I hope he doesn’t hang it up, dude is barely 30 right?

  • Klemperer Posted: Jul.27 at 4:04 pm
    Say it ain’t so, Yo!

  • Klemperer Posted: Jul.27 at 4:04 pm
    Yao!(sorry)

  • Yesse Posted: Jul.27 at 4:23 pm
    This is sad. I hope he can heal.

  • Michael NZ Posted: Jul.27 at 5:01 pm
    Yo, Yao.

  • Shem Posted: Jul.27 at 5:09 pm
    I feel bad for the Rockets, they we’re building a great team to surround Yao with when he came back. They still have a decent team but Scola, Ariza, Martin and Brooks aren’t bad with the Great Wall.

  • total scrotal implosion Posted: Jul.27 at 5:31 pm
    In his first ever game against shaqdiesel, he swatted shaqs first 3 shots, epic. China killed him every summer. He probably still would have had foot problems, but not this bad.

  • Shanoooooo Posted: Jul.27 at 5:39 pm
    He’s not saying anything we didn’t already know. What he is really saying is that he’s done with the Chinese Basketbal team for good.

  • The Philosopher Posted: Jul.27 at 6:38 pm
    Yao had a good run.
    Probably not a Hall of Fame career unless something dramatic happens, but…
    He is a universal icon.

  • don Posted: Jul.27 at 8:03 pm
    yao, get well!

  • eliazar Posted: Jul.27 at 9:12 pm
    with yao ming their championship contenders. with out their a avreage team.

  • serena Posted: Jul.27 at 10:22 pm
    Did anyone read beyond the headline? He’s talking about calling it quits for the chinese team.

  • Krishan Posted: Jul.27 at 11:28 pm
    The Philosopher: after all the no-named desk-job basketball personalities who were inducted in the Hall, and Yao who bridged two of the largest markets in the world while playing great, and subsequently transforming himself as china’s global icon, and he doesn’t get inducted? I am going to f*cking eat my laptop.

  • NJ4Life Posted: Jul.27 at 11:37 pm
    Bill Walton anyone?

  • asmaticasiatic2 Posted: Jul.28 at 1:50 am
    man, the rockets are my squad in 2k10; only squad that lets me hang with the 13-14 year olds that run like its a full time job plus overtime….

  • horsey Posted: Jul.28 at 2:50 am
    phoenix may be the best option for his (and anyone else’s) rejuvenation. that staff can make anyone play like a young man again (grant hill, shaq, nash…other guys who won’t make the hall of fame…)

  • NBA kid Posted: Jul.28 at 3:29 am
    Without Yao, we might as well hand over the keys to center kingdom for the next decade to Dwight (even moreso) unless Bogut or Lopez make a dramatic leap. Here’s hoping this isn’t the end for the dynasty…

  • chillychill Posted: Jul.28 at 9:15 am
    never liked yao but this isnt how he should go out

  • vtrobot Posted: Jul.28 at 9:34 am
    @ a_whiteman: do to his poor jumping ability, i think yao got dunked on a fair amount. didn’t nate dunk on him and then also block one of yao’s shots during the same game? @ serena: pretty sure that he’s considering quitting the sport of basketball, not just ending his time playing for national team.

  • SLAM ONLINE | » Hot Topics Posted: Jul.28 at 11:21 am
    [...] Yao May Retire [...]

  • The Philosopher Posted: Jul.28 at 1:26 pm
    @Kirshan:
    I agree with you.
    The jury is still out right now, though. If he plays for another two years without missing many games in between, I doubt he will get a call to The Hall.
    Another five years staying healthy, with a championship as a focal point, or even just being dominant maybe he will get the Call.
    At this point though, it’s tough from a basketball standpoint to get in. Just my opinion.
    You are right when you say players with a lesser global impact get in, but… you know how it is.

  • The Philosopher Posted: Jul.28 at 1:28 pm
    But, he is an icon, a first of his kind.
    The first player over 7′4″ with exceptional skill.
    He would get my vote.

  • The Seed Posted: Jul.28 at 6:24 pm
    If he is choosing to quit, then his career is over. THATS IT!!!

  • hobbes Posted: Jul.29 at 7:20 am
    Yao is done even folks in BJ knows it.

  • SLAM ONLINE | » Yao Ming Feeling Healthy Again Posted: Aug.25 at 10:04 am
    [...] Now, I’m not sure Big Z is the guy Rockets fans want to hear their franchise player aspire to be like, but it’s certainly better than moping about the possibility of retiring soon. [...]

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