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Chinese basketball star Yao Ming may not be on the court anymore, but he's still in the spotlight. On Sunday he debuted his own wine at a charity fundraiser for the Special Olympics... bringing in tens of thousands of dollars.

Retired Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming launched a wine in his own name in Shanghai on Sunday... at a charity auction organized by the Special Olympics.

His inaugural bottle of the Yao Ming 2009 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was shown off to the public at the auction.

[Yao Ming, Basketball Superstar]:
"Firstly this is a 2009 wine and we can feel that everything inside this wine is in the past, like being in a time capsule. Also, a lot of times, when we enjoy wine, it is not the simple act of drinking, but it also contains the feeling of the wonderful time that you spend with your friends enjoying the wine."

The final bid for his auction that included the combined items of the inaugural bottle of "Yao Ming" wine and a Salvatore Ferragamo shoe last made to be for his foot size, was 31,000 dollars.

The wine in the auction was the first of 1,200 bottles of a special edition produced in a 1.5 liter magnum bottle that will not be sold on the open market.