SHANGHAI — A large scroll behind the player who brought China to the NBA and the NBA to China summed up the occasion."Ming xie," it said in large Chinese characters that, loosely translated, mean "Yao Ming, thanks, the end."
Yao, with teary eyes at times and dressed in an equally somber black suit, closed the book Wednesday on his eight-year career with the Houston Rockets, conceding that injuries finally got the best of him.
"My past six months were an agonizing wait. I had been thinking (about my future) over and over," the 30-year-old Yao said in comments translated into English. "Today I am announcing a personal decision: ending my career as a basketball player and officially retiring. But one door is closing and another one is opening."
Yao Ming, the Chinese giant who became the first superstar basketball player from Asia, has told the Houston Rockets and the NBA that he has retired, according to multiple reports.The Houston Chronicle, ESPN and Sports Illustrated reported that Yao has decided against trying to make another comeback after injuries limited him to playing in only five games over the past two NBA seasons.
The Chronicle reported that the 2.29-metre Yao told the club a month ago he was not coming back after eight seasons in the NBA, the most recent of which have been dogged by injuries.
There was no immediate confirmation from the Rockets or the league regarding the status of the 30-year-old Yao, whose groundbreaking career helped the global growth of basketball and made him one of China's most famous exports.
A few days ago the Azkals were held to a 1-1 tie in Sri Lanka.
A poor Filipino blacksmith’s son who stands less than two feet (60 centimeters) tall was declared the world’s shortest man by Guinness World Records on his 18th birthday yesterday, sparking a celebration in his far-flung hometown.
The title was bestowed on Junrey Balawing in Sindangan in the southern Philippines, with Balawing’s parents, villagers and officials showering the coastal town’s newly famous resident with a feast, a cake, balloons and cash gifts.
Balawing measured 23.5 inches (60 centimeters) during the ceremony attended by about 100 villagers and journalists. Guinness World Records representative Craig Glenday presented Balawing with official recognition of his status as the shortest adult man in the world.
Kristen Stewart brings a little bit of edge to the red carpet at the 2011 MTV Movie Awardsheld at Universal Studios’ Gibson Amphitheatre on Sunday (June 5) in Universal City, Calif.
The 21-year-old actress wore a custom-made pinned Balmain dress to the main event where she’ll be hitting the stage to present a new clip from The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I.
Kristen is also up for several awards herself — including Best Female Performance.
A 4G network is the fourth generation of wireless communication. While still in development, the foundations for the replacement of the present network is currently being researched and constructed by the cellular phone industry and other technology developers. The overall goal for the network is to provide a comprehensive and secure Internet Protocol solution with much faster data speeds than previous generations.
The first wireless network, known as 1G, was founded during the 1980s. 2G was introduced in the early 1990s as a way of allowing more transmissions to occur per communication channel. The foundations of 3G were established in the late 1990s and have been implemented throughout the majority of the world as of the early 21st century. While the 3G network was the first to allow for multimedia applications, 4G promises to take this basic technology and amplify its usage.
Have you pulled your car up to the gas pump lately and been shocked by the high price of gasoline? As the pump clicked past $20, $30, $40 or even $50, maybe you thought about trading in your car for something that gets better mileage. Or maybe you're worried that your car is contributing to the greenhouse effect.