China shocked by news of Yao's retirement

Yahoo! Sports' report that Yao Ming is retiring left Chinese basketball fans in disbelief.

Thousands of fans flooded online forums on Saturday reacting to the news. One wrote: "He's China's top athlete...it's a pity to lose such a sports icon."

Other fans such as Liu Kan, a 28-year-old security guard in central Beijing, said Chinese fans should thank Yao for bringing a sense of pride to Chinese sports.

China's most popular online portals, sina.com and sohu.com, headlined the news of Yao's possible retirement prominently on their homepages.

The 7-foot-6 Yao, who turns 31 in September, has been plagued by leg and foot injuries with the Houston Rockets. He missed 250 regular-season games over the past six seasons.

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