He's set to cast a very long shadow over the sport of basketball, especially in his native China.
After nine years and eight All-Star selections, Yao Ming is leaving the NBA.
Persistent injury problems have forced the seven-foot-six star to step down, but his legacy will live on.
Yao was integral to the sport's expansion beyond the U.S., and his value to the NBA brand is difficult to overstate.
Today I need to make a personal decision. I say, basketball, the player, I will stop my career, basketball career, and I will formally retire today.
Thinking back and thinking of the future, I've been very grateful. First of all, I need to be grateful to basketball. It has brought happiness to many people, including myself.
And happiness to a lot of people here, I should mention. I heard people talking about it on the bus home.
He really won a lot of hearts here in the U.S.
And the happiness Yao referred to in that clip extended to the estimated 300 million Chinese fans of the sport, above all. He also earned the adulation of sports fans around the world.
While Yao has vowed to dedicate his future to the Shanghai Sharks, the team he bought in 2009, his retirement will certainly leave a big hole in the American game.
Mark McKay reports.
With the first pick in the 2002 NBA draft, the Houston Rockets select Yao Ming from Shanghai, China.
When Houston drafted Yao Ming, they believed he was the foundation of a bright future.
During his rookie season, Yao played in every game, averaging more than 13 points and eight rebounds.
He finished second in the voting for the Rookie of the Year Award, and the Rockets improved their one-loss record from the previous year.
The seven-foot-six-inch center was definitely making a name for himself.
Yo!
Yao.
Over the next six seasons, Yao's numbers improved, and he helped lead the team to the playoffs five times.
Though they never got past the second round, his impact in raising the global profile of his team and the league was massive.
His impact has really been on the game of basketball and the growth of the game of basketball and the growth of the NBA globally.
He has taken the league to heights that they would never have realized without Yao Ming in China and, subsequently, he's boosted the Houston Rockets in the same fashion.
Yao has had a tremendous impact, and his impact's been both on and off the court.
But, literally, there are millions of children that are inspired to play the game, and he's broaden the audience for us.
But by his fourth year, Yao began suffering injuries to his legs and feet.
After missing the entire 2009-2010 season, Yao's return to action in November lasted all of five games as he suffered another season-ending injury.
With the recent reports that the 30-year-old is retiring, it appears it was a career-ending one.