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December 19, 2009

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Yao has Sharks top of agenda

HOUSTON Rockets' Chinese center Yao Ming, recovering from major foot surgery, said yesterday he would focus on the running of the Shanghai Sharks in the short term before heading back to the NBA next season.

"I'm definitely recovering and the recent results of my checkups allowed me to make this long trip back to Shanghai from the United States," Yao said yesterday at the launch of a shark-conservation project in Shanghai.

"I might be completely recovered by next season, but so far I don't know what day it starts as the game schedule hasn't come out yet."

The 2.26-meter basketball star said he wanted to allow enough time for his bones to fully heal following the operation to repair a hairline fracture in his left foot suffered in a May 8 game against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Yao, who still needs crutches to get around, came back to his hometown of Shanghai on Thursday night, mainly to fulfill his duty as the owner of the Sharks.

The Chinese Basketball Association league season opens tonight with a game between Zhejiang Guangsha and Shanghai Sharks.

Shanghai Sharks spokesman Zhang Chi said about 3,000 tickets had been sold.

This is expected to balloon with the news that Yao will appear at the opener at Yuanshen Stadium in Pudong.

Earlier this year Yao became the sole owner of the troubled domestic team.

Yao started playing for the Sharks as a teen, leading them to their only CBA title before he left for the NBA in 2002.

He is also in Shanghai to support the launch of an advertisement by the San Francisco-based conservation group WildAid on protecting sharks, which are threatened by over-fishing that is linked to the heavy consumer demand for shark's fin soup.

Yao has been a spokesman for WildAid since 2006.



 

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