Yao Ming hopes to take on Bryant on home ground
(china.org.cn)
Updated: 2006-07-12 10:01 It was announced on Friday
that a US team featuring NBA players like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwayne
Wade will play two exhibition games in China for the first time in August.
Former NBA legend
Clyde Drexler gestures during a news conference in Guangzhou, south
China's Guangdong province, July 7, 2006. China Basketball Challenge, a
basketball tournament featuring match-ups between the men's national teams
of China against the United States, and Brazil against the United States,
will take place on August 7th and 8th in Guangzhou, local media
reported.[Reuters] |
Injured Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is hopeful that he'll recover in time
to join the Chinese team, according to Li Yuanwei, president of the Chinese
Basketball Association (CBA).
Doctors have suggested Yao, who broke his left foot on April 10 in Utah, not
to play any games until August 1. Despite his injuries, Yao joined his teammates
in a training session on Saturday, the first time since returning to China last
month.
In the latest six warm-ups in Italy, China only managed to clinch two wins,
beating Venezuela 78-73 and Japan 80-75.
Former NBA player Wang Zhizhi dominated the series while Yao was out of
action. Wang averaged 23 points and 9.8 rebounds and was the top scorer for
China in five games. He netted 44 points in the game with Japan, which broke the
highest scoring record held by Yao, who scored 39 points in a match against New
Zealand at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
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