Yao May Have Played His Last Game For China

The word from China Daily, possibly translated wrong and from "an unidentified source," is that Yao Ming's done with Chinese national ball:

Yao Ming feels he is 'unable to play for the national team anymore' and may quit next year, according to a report from the Shanghai-based Oriental Sports Daily on Monday that has shocked China's basketball circles.

The report quoted an unidentified source closely associated with the NBA all-star center as saying: "Yao has expressed his idea of retiring from international competitions.Yao is 28 and has played for the national team in three Olympic Games. He said this team (which competed in the Beijing Games) is the strongest in history and he feels he is unable to play for it any more," the person was quoted as saying.

The article goes on to have everyone in all corners deny it. But this raises the question of exactly what China wants Yao to accomplish in world basketball -- and what he himself might want. Throughout his career, Yao's been virtual property of his home country, expected to sacrifice his summers and tax his body for the luxury of playing out West. It's doubtlessly made an impact on his NBA career.

To some degree, this rumor goes on the assumption (one that first started rumblings during the Olympics) that somehow, Yao repping China proudly in Beijing and helping his team not completely embarrass themselves means he'd paid his debt. That's the sense of distance you hear creeping into the "this team is strong without me" sentiment.

Yao's participation in the Chinese national program is holding him back as a pro. The Rockets are setting themselves up to contend. Isn't it in China's best interest to have their high-value basketball chip reaping glory somewhere, instead of falling short of expectations in two arenas? That gets Brand Yao out there, associating China with success, and doing so on that most American of stages. Unless the internationalization of the game is so imminent, and will be so swift, that NBA performance can be downplayed, and stuff like the Olympics retains an unimaginable premium, no matter how the team fares.

Unlike NBA players who skip the Olympics, Yao has nothing to prove as far as patriotism (or nationalism) is concerned. At this point, it's about what's best for him -- because in the end, that's what's going to most benefit all involved parties.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.