Yao Ming: ‘I Don’t Even Know if I Can Play Again’

Here’s yet another completely depressing story in which Yao Ming talks about the possibility of never playing basketball again. Sigh. From Reuters (via China Daily): “The towering Houston Rockets center, China’s most recognizable athlete, told CCTV he could not predict when, or indeed if, he would fully recover from a serious ankle fracture suffered last November. ‘I don’t know if I would join some champion team in the future,’ the China Daily quoted him as saying when asked about leaving a new-look Rockets team. ‘I don’t even know if I can play again.’ Yao, however, said the prospect of playing in front of his baby daughter Amy gave him extra motivation to continue his injury-plagued career in the NBA. ‘I wish she could watch me play and even win a championship,’ Yao said. ‘Not only see through video highlights how her dad played. She is definitely a big motivation for me to continue, although my foot still needs lots of treatment. Walking or jogging is okay… but I need to get 80 percent of my strength back to play. I have got only about 30 percent at most now.’ Yao confessed he was not sure how he would fit in with the plans of new Rockets coach Kevin McHale. ‘A championship ring has become not so important in my plans,’ Yao said. ‘My main thought for the next 10 years is to look after my family and continue my community activities.'”