What Would Be Yao Ming's Legacy if He Retired from Basketball Right Now?

Yao Ming is considering retirement after this upcoming season.

Professional athletes have been known for some brazen arrogance. This can be particularly true when returning from a major injury. Witness Tracy McGrady’s assertion that he has rehabilitated himself to the point of being a starter again as exhibit #1.

Yao has been the (strained) face of Chinese basketball for nearly a decade.

No one considers Yao anything but a legitimate All-Star these days.

Why is Yao so much better than I am??

Yao and Shaq will always be a chapter in each other's careers.

• He was the first international player ever drafted first overall in the NBA draft.
• He was the key to David Stern’s aggressive NBA marketing campaign in China that created 300 million basketball fans.
• He made Charles Barkley kiss Kenny Smith’s ass.
• He is great friends with Shaquille O’Neal and was quite possibly the least-offended Asian in this country by Shaq’s purported racist comments toward him.
• He was the best offensive center in the NBA from 2005 to 2009. His career free throw percentageof 83.2% is unheard of at that center position.
• His defining game is Game 7 of the 2007 Western Conference First Round against the Utah Jazz. In this series-deciding game, Yao rumbled for 29 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter. On the other hand, he also had no clue how to stop Carlos Boozer, who eviscerated him for 35 points and 14 rebounds in a four-point Jazz victory.
• He rebounded far less than one would expect from someone 7’6”. In that crucial game against Utah, he only managed six, and he averages 9.3 over 32 min for his career.
• He has made tireless efforts for charity in China. Buying the crappy Shanghai Sharks franchise that used to employ him must be included as part of that.
• And around the time he became really, really good was the same time he could never seem to stay healthy.

The strangest picture of Yao Ming ever.