Yao Ming News

SHANGHAI, China (AP) _ China's official sports association has issued an unprecedented public criticism of Yao Ming for reporting late to national team training. The Houston Rockets star was faulted for taking too much time off to recover from his last NBA season, as well spending too much time planning his wedding and making appearances for the Special Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. ``No matter how lofty public welfare activities are, they can't be allowed to take ...

Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming left a pre-season game Thursday night against the Orlando Magic with a sprained right ankle. The team said the injury was minor and Yao left the game only as a precaution. ``It's not a big problem,'' Yao said. ``If we had practise tomorrow I could do it.'' He had 13 points and four rebounds when he was injured. He left in the second quarter, after ...

Yao Ming had 22 points and seven rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets over the Milwaukee Bucks 111-97 in pre-season play Wednesday night. Michael Redd scored 21 points for the Bucks, who lost despite hitting 11 of 19 three-pointers (58 percent). The Rockets grabbed a double-figure lead early in the third quarter and led by as many as 16 in the second half. Rookie Vassilis Spanoulis scored all of his 10 points in the fourth quarter to ...