Rockets to retire Yao Ming's No. 11 jersey with Dwight Howard in town
A great honor for the newest Hall of Famer
By
Zach Harper
•
1 min read
Yao Ming already received the ultimate basketball honor this summer when he was enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame alongside Allen Iverson, Shaquille O'Neal, Sheryl Swoopes and Tom Izzo, among others. He's already an icon and the greatest Chinese basketball player of all time. His legacy within the basketball community, especially in an important market like China, will ring out over the coming decades.
His former NBA team the Houston Rockets wants to honor him, as well. On February 2 when Chinese New Year is happening and the Rockets feel they can get the maximum Chinese support at one of their home games, the franchise is going to retire Yao's No. 11 jersey into the rafters at the Toyota Center. The Rockets host the Atlanta Hawks that night, who now employ former Rockets center Dwight Howard.
🚨🚨 ANNOUNCEMENT 🚨🚨
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) September 23, 2016
Owner Leslie Alexander announces @YaoMing will have his Rockets jersey retired on February 2 pic.twitter.com/WmExqMBbte
Yao's career was cut short due to serious foot injuries, but from 2002 to 2011 he was one of the most intriguing big men in the NBA. At 7-foot-6, he was impossibly tall and was strong enough to not be pushed around despite not having leverage against pretty much any other player. He averaged 19 points over eight seasons and grabbed 9.2 rebounds per night, as well.
He made eight All-Star teams in the West and played in six of those games. He was also named to five All-NBA Teams with three selections to the Third Team and two selections to the Second Team.
