Yao Ming is back in China to consult traditional medicine practitioners about his NBA season-ending foot injury. On April 4, 2008, he arrived in Beijing to explore alternative treatments.
What happened?
Yao Ming underwent surgery on March 3 to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. Houston Rockets team doctor Tom Clanton and Dr. Bill McGarvey performed the surgery.
He hobbled into a news conference on crutches, his injured foot sheathed in a protective guard. Yao said his recovery was going "pretty well," but he wasn't likely to be back at his best until late June or early July.
Why it matters for Yao Ming
Yao's injury sparked a near panic in China, which has huge hopes for the Olympics. China's other big man, former Dallas Mavericks centre Wang Zhizhi, also recently underwent knee surgery.
Yao warned against counting the hosts out, saying the team would finish 12th in a worst-case scenario, but was poised for a "historic breakthrough." He heard rumours he would be selected as an Olympic torch bearer — perhaps even carrying it at the opening ceremony.
What comes next?
Yao plans to see his fellow players on the national team and talk with coach Jonas Kazlauskas on strategy for the Beijing Olympics in August. Traditional Chinese medicine can range from acupuncture to herbal teas, and is usually less invasive and slower acting than Western medicine.
"Traditional Chinese medicine has a history of thousands of years in our country so there must be something to it," Yao said. He smiled and joked with reporters and assured them that despite playing in the U.S., he remained Chinese at heart.
Yao had not decided on a treatment to heal the stress fracture in his left foot, but said he would probably meet with the country's top traditional doctors early next week. The Olympics is a big competition with big pressure, and Yao is determined to make a strong comeback, he added on April 4, 2008.
"Of course it would be a huge honour to carry the torch, but in my present state, in my present condition, I can't even run 200 metres," Yao said. Milwaukee Bucks rookie forward Yi Jianlian was scheduled to undergo a scan on his sprained left knee.