Yao may ditch national team

Yao Ming feels he is 'unable to play for the national team anymore' and may quit next year, according to a report from the Shanghai-based Oriental Sports Daily on Monday that has shocked China's basketball circles.

The report quoted an unidentified source closely associated with the NBA all-star center as saying: "Yao has expressed his idea of retiring from international competitions."

"Yao is 28 and has played for the national team in three Olympic Games. He said this team (which competed in the Beijing Games) is the strongest in history and he feels he is unable to play for it any more," the person was quoted as saying.