Letters

End of an era in basketball

The news no one wanted to hear has finally come: China's iconic NBA star Yao Ming has decided to call it a day.

For most fans, Yao's retirement signifies the end of an era in basketball. As the person who carried the flag of a generation of Chinese sports stars, Yao helped raise China's image in the world and played a significant role in popularizing basketball and NBA in China. His retirement is thus a big loss for basketball in China as well as the United States.