Yao poised to retire

BEIJING - Yao Ming's management team released an official statement on Saturday afternoon revealing China's most famous basketball player will face the media and public in 10 days' time in his hometown of Shanghai to make a "significant" decision about his future.

The announcement came hours after Yahoo! Sports reported the NBA all-star center had decided to quit the game, after nine star-crossed seasons, on Friday night.

"On July 20, we will hold a press conference in Shanghai to release the future plans of Yao Ming's career," the statement said.