WITH 26 screws inserted in his left foot, world famous NBA player Yao Ming said farewell to the basketball courts at 30, an age when a man is at his prime.

On Wednesday, Yao announced his retirement because of injuries, though it was revealed by media several days before. Chinese basketball fans are saddened and asking if anyone will continue Yao's legend.

Yao is more than a basketball star, he's a Chinese icon and a projection of China's soft power on the world stage.

"Today I announce a personal decision: I end my career as a basketball player and officially retire," Yao told a press conference in Shanghai.

"I had to leave the court when I suffered a stress fracture in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. The past six months were an agonizing wait. I have been thinking (about my future) over and over," said the 2.26-meter Houston Rockets center.

Chinese expressed their regrets, support, and blessings to Yao, recalled his humor and modesty, and praised his athletic skills and dedication to philanthropy.

Many Chinese have shifted their attention to Yao's successor. Thousands of weibo (twitter-like websites) users asked, "Who is the next Yao Ming?" or simply declared "I'm longing for the next Yao."

Yao, who will turn 31 in September, played for eight seasons in the NBA after being the top overall pick in the 2002 draft. He averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds and has been named in the NBA All-star team eight times.

On weibo, about 1.2 million comments about Yao were posted as of 5pm Wednesday.

"Now, an era has ended. No matter how great an athlete is, he will feel extremely helpless when confronted with injuries. I believe Yao will try his best to help boost the development of basketball in China after his retirement. Bless Yao Ming," professional swimmer Zhou Yafei, said in her weibo post.

"I feel I've lost part of my life. He inspired me to conquer all difficulties in my life in the past years," said David Zhang, a die-hard fan in his 30s, living in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province.

In 2002, when Yao moved into the NBA, Zhang quit his job as a middle school teacher and began cramming for the fiercely competitive national postgraduate qualifying examination.

"At that time, I saw Yao's first game in the NBA on TV. He scored zero and appeared awkward. I felt we shared a similar situation, we both had to start from scratch and face great uncertainty," Zhang said, adding that he watched nearly every game in which Yao played.

However, two years after Zhang obtained a master degree and became a news reporter as he'd dreamed, Yao chose to end his once-glorious professional basketball career.

"It's really sad. Watching Yao Ming's game is the collective memory of me and my bros, even a generation of Chinese youth. But I totally understand him, as he said he didn't want to play with his daughter while using crutches in the future," he said.

For Jin Yifeng, a 25-year-old fan of Yao in Beijing, what has inspired him most about his idol is Yao's perseverance on the court and patriotism.

"He's more a warrior than an athlete. He sweated blood in the game in spite of endless injuries," Jin said. "In addition, Yao was always ready to go back home when his country needed him," he said. Under Yao's leadership, the Chinese national basketball team managed to reach the Olympic quarterfinals twice in the past decade.

Yao has become a national hero for a generation of young Chinese. However, unlike the war heroes worshipped by the older generation, Yao has been admired as an "ordinary person" who attained success despite frustrations and setbacks, said Liu Shan, associate professor with College of Communication and Art of the Shanghai's Tongji University.

Yao, whose face is perhaps the most recognizable Chinese one worldwide, has become a bridge between the East and West. He helped the NBA explore a promising market in the world's most populous country, and conveyed the likeable image of Chinese people to the world.

Yao made the cover story of the Asian Edition of Time Magazine twice, and was selected by the magazine as one of its "100 most influential people in the world today" twice.

"His contributions to the NBA cannot be overstated. He is such a huge man and on top of that, he is a phenomenal player," NBA superstar Kobe Bryant said when he was asked to comment on Yao's retirement.

"In terms of opening up doors for Chinese basketball players to come to the NBA, or for the youth here in China to believe that it's possible to achieve the dream of being an NBA player, all that started from Yao," said the 32-year-old Los Angeles Lakers guard.

Yao conscientiously fulfilled his missions as an international sports celebrity, characterized by his endeavors to protect wildlife, compassion to the poor and the disabled, as well as generous donations for victims of natural disasters, both in China and the United States.

Yao's individual appearance on the world stage is an example of China's soft power in its three-decade-old reform and opening up.

Is there a Chinese figure who can parallel Yao in terms of career achievements, personal qualities and international influence?

What Chinese people want is not only an outstanding athlete, but also a "Chinese icon" who can represent a wholesome image of emerging China, said Meng Jian, a journalism professor with at Shanghai's Fudan University.

It must be discouraging for Yao's fans to that his Chinese peers, Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue both suffered major setbacks on the NBA court and haven't measured up to Yao's performance and image. Since Yao only played in five games in the seasons from 2009 to 2011, the NBA lost a large Chinese audience and attention during his absence, according to Yan Jian, deputy editor-in-chief of the Chinese-language Basketball News.

The NBA may try to regain the Chinese audience by giving more opportunities to Yi, the only Chinese player in the league, drafting more Chinese players and searching for grassroots Chinese talents.

(The authors are Xinhua writers.)