Yao Ming has stepped down as president of the Chinese Basketball Association, and Vice-President Guo Zhenming was appointed the new chief of the CBA, it was announced on Thursday.

Yao's departure from the high-profile post, confirmed by the association after an executive board meeting on Thursday afternoon, has sparked heated debate among fans and media alike, with his seven-year tenure seeing both achievements and setbacks for Chinese basketball.

Under his leadership, the women's national team won gold medals at two consecutive Asian Games in Jakarta and Hangzhou, and matched its best result at the FIBA Women's World Cup with a runner-up finish in 2022. However, the men's national team faced challenges, failing to qualify for both the Tokyo and Paris Olympics and falling short of the top 16 at the FIBA World Cup in 2019 and 2023.

As an undisputed star both in the NBA and with Team China during his athletic prime, Yao, who retired as a player with the Houston Rockets in 2011, adopted a bold and innovative approach to overhaul the CBA after he was first elected chief in 2017 by implementing a series of reforms, such as integrating sports with education, establishing salary caps for the CBA league, providing player insurance and standardizing youth competition.

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Yao called his decision a "strategic move" to allow for a smooth transition for the next leadership, ensuring that they can effectively manage a complete Olympic cycle.

"It's been quite a valuable experience where I've had a lot of gains. Unfortunately, the national program's results in recent years failed to meet our expectations," Yao said after the announcement on Thursday. "I chose to step down now because I think it's time to consider the future of Chinese basketball in a different way."

The CBA paid tribute to Yao's contribution to the sport in a statement, asking the 44-year-old eight-time NBA All-Star to stay around within the game's community.

"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.

Guo, the CBA's new president, expressed strong confidence in the future of Chinese basketball.

"We aim to build upon the foundation laid by Yao, encouraging collaboration to create a vibrant environment that deepens basketball reform," he said.

Xinhua contributed to this story.