No. 2

The "Gentle Giant" Yao Ming announced his retirement as a professional basketball player in July in Shanghai. The 2.26-meter Shanghai native, who played eight seasons in the NBA after Houston Rockets chose him as the top overall pick in the 2002 draft, had been plagued with a series of injuries. The 31-year-old averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds and has been named to the NBA All-star team eight times.

Yao announced his retirement from basketball in a press conference.