SHANGHAI, (Reuters) – Yao Ming’s recovery from foot surgery is on schedule but he will not be back on court any time soon, the Houston Rockets and China center said yesterday. The 29-year-old All Star had surgery in July on a hairline fracture to his left foot, which doctors initially thought might be career threatening, and he is almost certain to miss the whole of the 2009/10 NBA season.
“I think my injury still has a long way to go, but so far so good,” he told reporters at a news conference for a conservation group. “It’s on schedule. So nothing bad, nothing behind schedule.” Yao, who still needs crutches to get around, returned to his home city on Thursday for the launch of the domestic basketball season in his role as the new owner of his old team, the Shanghai Sharks.
The Sharks, who last won the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) title in 2002 before Yao left for the NBA, finished bottom of the 18-team league last season.
“Our long-term goal is to win the championship again, like we did before,” Yao said.
“I believe we can achieve that as long as we move as one. Of course down to the details there are still a lot to be improved and changed. The best way is to bring in talent.”
Yao was speaking at a news conference for the Wildaid campaign against the consumption of the Chinese delicacy shark fin soup, a campaign he has supported since 2006.
