Yao Ming aiming for July return to play

Yao Ming will return to light training with China’s national team Friday, and expects to play in pre-Olympic warmup games. The fitness of the Houston Rockets centre for the Beijing Olympics has been a subject of national concern in China since he suffered a stress fracture to his left foot in February, ending his NBA season and threatening his star turn as part of China’s team at the games.

A day after returning to Beijing, Yao said X-rays and an MRI taken in Houston on Tuesday showed his recovery was on schedule, with the foot about 80 per cent healed. The remaining 20 per cent usually takes a full year, Yao said. “I’ve now done everything I can possibly do to get fit,” said Yao, the most popular and highest-earning Chinese athlete. “In terms of being basketball fit, the only way to do that is to play games.”

With pressure on Yao to perform, some have questioned whether he would be pushing himself so hard were the Olympics not being held in Beijing. Yao dismissed such speculation, saying that there were “no ‘ifs’ about the Olympics, there are no ‘ifs’ about me.”

Kobe Bryant headlines Olympic basketball team

The 12 players whose selection was announced Monday had one thing in common: They were willing to make a three-year commitment. In the case of Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, the commitment went beyond giving up part of their summer vacation. Wade sat out the last five weeks of Miami’s season and had to work out last month for U.S. managing director Jerry Colangelo to show he was OK.

Bryant, who played the last half of the Lakers’ season with a torn ligament in his right pinkie finger, might still need surgery — but has put it off until after the Olympics. Of the 12 players on this team, eight — Bryant, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Jason Kidd, Dwight Howard, Tayshaun Prince, Michael Redd and Deron Williams — played on last summer’s team that dominated the qualifying Tournament of the Americas.