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The name Yao Ming will ring throughout baseball history even without any additional accolades. Yao’s impact on the NBA in China and his many productive years in Houston have made sure of that.
But following the ultimate honor of being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Yao will be forever immortalized in Houston this season as well.
Owner Leslie Alexander and the Houston Rockets announced the team would be retiring Yao’s No. 11 jersey on Feb. 2, 2017.
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
The ceremony will fall during the Chinese New Year. Alexander said of the event:
"We're having Yao's jersey retirement on Feb. 2 during Chinese New Year," Alexander said. "It will be the maximum audience we can have because of the Chinese New Year. It's meant to for the organization and the growth of the NBA and games globally to celebrate him as great person, player and the fact that he's in the Hall of Fame now."
Yao’s No.11 will join Clyde Drexler’s No. 22, Calvin Murphy’s No. 23, Moses Malone’s 24, Hakeem Olajuwon’s 34, Rudy Tomjanovich’s 45, and “CD” jersey for former assistant coach and general manager Carroll Dawson.