Chinese basketball player and NBA superstar Yao Ming smiles during a press conference in Shanghai on July 20, 2011. The 2.29-metre (7ft 6in) Yao, the first Asian superstar of the National Basketball Association, announced his retirement after a trail-blazing career that made him China's best-known athlete abroad and helped spur the game's global growth. AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE LOPEZ
Chinese basketball player and NBA superstar Yao Ming smiles during a press conference in Shanghai on July 20, 2011. The 2.29-metre (7ft 6in) Yao, the first Asian superstar of the National Basketball Association, announced his retirement after a trail-blazing career that made him China's best-known athlete abroad and helped spur the game's global growth. AFP PHOTO / PHILIPPE LOPEZ