Yao Ming should make it official on Wednesday, announcing what is widely expected to be his retirement from the NBA and a sport that made him a household name in China.

The 7-foot-6 (2.29-meter) center for the Houston Rockets played for eight seasons in the NBA, but has missed 250 regular-season games over the past six years.?Yao's career, including frequent appearances for the Chinese national team at Olympics and world championships, has been punctuated by leg and foot injuries.