Sawt Falasteen - Yao Ming quits after seven years as head of Chinese basketball

Basketball is immensely popular in China and the former Rockets centre is the country's most famous star, even after he retired from playing in 2011.

Yao told state news agency Xinhua that he was standing down because "the performances and results of the national team have regrettably not met expectations".

The 44-year-old has previously been critical of the men's national team, labelling the players "slackers" and warning there was a "huge gap" between them and the world's best teams.

He said last year he would "take responsibility" after they failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The CBA confirmed it had approved his resignation on Thursday, saying his decision came "after careful consideration and based on considerations for the development of China's basketball and personal planning".

He has chosen to depart with about two years left on his term to allow the association a full Olympic cycle to improve the team, Xinhua said.

- 'Sincere gratitude' -

A CBA statement quoted Yao as saying that "basketball is a career I have always adored, whether in the past, present or future".

"I hope that everyone will continue to support Chinese basketball with me in the future," he said.

The CBA said the national sport administration "expressed sincere gratitude" to Yao for his work.

"It is believed that Yao Ming has done a lot of fruitful work in building the foundation of bringing basketball to the masses... (and) improving the level of the national team", the association said.

Yao "is still a member of the Chinese basketball family and we believe he will continue to contribute to Chinese basketball", it added.

His successor, Guo Zhenming, pledged to deepen reforms in the domestic game and help China become a basketball heavyweight.

"Taking the baton of leading the CBA is a heavy responsibility and a glorious mission," Guo was quoted as saying.

- Giant of the game -

Born in Shanghai, Yao -- who stands a towering 2.29 metres (7.5 feet) tall -- is one of China's most recognised athletes.

He was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2002 and won a succession of personal accolades, becoming a Basketball Hall of Famer and later a business magnate and cultural ambassador.

With a languid but deceptively agile playing style, as well as his wry humour and fluent English, Yao quickly became a fan favourite in the US and the pride of sports aficionados back home.

But his playing career was plagued by injuries and he retired at the age of 30.

No Chinese player has come close to matching his achievements in the years since his retirement, a period also marked by increasingly fraught tensions between Washington and Beijing.

L.Hussein--SF-PST