BEIJING - Yao Ming's management team released an official statement on Saturday afternoon revealing China's most famous basketball player will face the media and public in 10 days' time in his hometown of Shanghai to make a "significant" decision about his future.

The announcement came hours after Yahoo! Sports reported the NBA all-star center had decided to quit the game, after nine star-crossed seasons, on Friday night.

"On July 20, we will hold a press conference in Shanghai to release the future plans of Yao Ming's career," the statement said.

According to Yahoo, the veteran had informed the Rockets, the league office in New York and NBA China of his decision to leave the game. And the league's official website published a story headlined: "Rockets' center Yao retires".

However, NBA China said the association, in a lock-out after NBA club owners and players failed to reach a labor agreement last month, had not received any news from Yao.

"We have not received any official notification of his retirement," Yang Boning, senior director of communications and community relations of NBA China, told China Daily on Saturday.

In an interview with AFP on Saturday, Yao's Chinese agent, Zhang Mingji, gave a vague response to the reports.

"I am not denying the reports ... I am just saying Yao Ming has not announced his retirement," Zhang said.

Neither Yao nor members of his management team were available for comment.

Members of China's sports marketing giant, Starzsports, which will organize the press conference, also refused to release any information.

"Apart from informing the media of the conference, we haven't got any updated news," Chen Jingyi, media manager of Starzsports, said.

Xie Song, a Chinese basketball agent, said he feels it could be the right time for Yao to retire.

"First, he is suffering from a career-threatening injury and it will be very difficult for him to recover his best form in the NBA. Second, the NBA has been shut down for now, leaving his future there uncertain," Xie said.

The Rockets selected Yao with the No 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft and signed him to a five-year extension in Sept 2005.

Debuting in 2002, the eight-time all-star, who averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds over the past nine seasons, triggered massive interest in the game here and also played a significant role in Sino-US relations as a global ambassador.

However, the Houston Rockets' center was cut down for a third time by a troublesome left foot last December. He was first hurt in 2008 and then suffered another injury in 2009. The 2.26m giant played only five games over the past two seasons.

Yao, 30, owns Chinese Basketball Association club the Shanghai Sharks.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/10/2011 page1)