China won't force Yao to return from injury -Reuters BEIJING -- Injured Yao Ming will not be pressured by China's basketball officials to rush back from injury to play for the national team, Yao's management has said. A possible six-month recuperation period for Yao's broken foot -- sustained against the Jazz earlier in the month -- has put in doubt the Houston Rockets center's fitness for the world championships in September. The Shanghai Morning Post on Friday quoted Zhang Mingji, spokesman for Team Yao, as saying the Chinese Basketball Association had promised adequate time for the player's full recovery. Yao, who underwent surgery last week, will return from the United States by mid-June, Zhang said. Traditional Chinese medicine may be used to aid his recovery.
