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NBA: Yao will get surgery

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-07-02 16:56

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming said he will undergo surgery to repair the injury in his left foot, according to the NBA website.

The website said Yao made the decision "after consulting with the Rockets' medical staff and a handful of specialists on the East Coast.”

Related readings:  Houston still quiet on Yao's big news  Retirement for center Yao? Not so fast, says his agent  Yao's injury could be 'career-threatening'  Yao yet to recover from foot injury  Yao Ming out indefinitely

It also said Yao may "return to the basketball court by the second half of the 2009-10 season" after the surgery.

However, Yao may not be able to play for China's National Basketball Team during the 2010 FIBA World Championship set to take place in Turkey since this NBA star has received too many operations, China's portal website sina.com said.

The upcoming operation will be the fifth for Yao.

During an interview in June, Yao implied that he might quit the national team, explaining that the team needs younger players. A poll on the Sina.com showed that 83.7 percent of the 127,92 people surveyed supported Yao having the surgery while others believe he should choose traditional therapy.

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming's broken left foot could be a "career-threatening" injury. Dr Tom Clanton, the Rockets' team physician, told the Houston Chronicle on Monday that Yao's injury "has the potential for him to miss next season and could be career-threatening". [Agencies]