Yao returns as China win warm-up

Yao Ming gave China's Olympic basketball hopes a boost when he returned to action for the first time after five months on the sidelines in China's 96-72 victory over Serbia in a warm-up tournament on Friday.

The 7ft-6in (2.28m) centre, who had an operation on a stress fracture to his left foot in March, was greeted by a huge roar from the Hangzhou crowd when he came on to the court midway through the first period.

The Houston Rockets All-Star, China's most popular sportsman, scored 11 points in their opening game of the Stankovic Cup.

China play Angola on Sunday and Russia on Monday in the round-robin tournament, which takes place just three weeks before the Olympics.

China open their Olympic campaign against the United States at the Wukesong basketball arena on August 10.

US BASKETBALL SQUAD

Bryant and James named in US team
LA Lakers star Bryant won his first Most Valuable Player award this season


The NBA's Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant and top-scorer LeBron James head the list of 12 players named by the United States for the Beijing Olympics.

Also named are Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Jason Kidd as the US seeks to end a recent run of disappointments.

The US failed to win the gold medal in Athens - the first time an NBA-based team had done so at the Olympics.

The team's officials have promised a 'change of culture' in a bid to improve the men's team's results.

Argentina won gold in Athens, having edged out the United States in the semi-finals. It was the third defeat of the tournament for a US team that was criticised for being under-prepared.

But the team's managing director Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski are confident the current squad will perform better than the team that went to Athens.

"That team didn't have enough practice time," said Krzyzewski. "There were late additions and they were given a short window to prepare and you can't win at that level without preparation."

Bryant led the LA Lakers to the NBA finals this season, while James scorched the league's defences, scoring 30 points per game.

Tayshaun Prince, Carlos Boozer, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Michael Redd and Deron Williams complete the American line-up.

Eight players have been retained from the team which ensured Olympic qualification at the Americas Tournament last year. Bosh, Paul and Wade, who all missed that tournament, return from the 2006 World Championship team.

The squad will train in Las Vegas from 20-25 July before heading to China for warm-up games against Turkey, Lithuania, Russia and Australia.

"I felt the culture certainly needed to change," said Colangelo. "We needed commitments from coaches and players alike for a period of time.

"All that has taken place and we're really enthused about the make-up of this team from top to bottom."

NBA players have been allowed to compete at the Olympics since 1992, where the US famously fielded a gold medal-winning 'Dream Team' in Barcelona.

The US has only failed to win a medal in men's basketball on one occasion - the 1980 Games in Moscow, which they boycotted.


US team: Carmelo Anthony, forward, Denver Nuggets; Carlos Boozer, forward, Utah Jazz; Chris Bosh, forward, Toronto Raptors; Kobe Bryant, guard, Los Angeles Lakers; Dwight Howard, forward/centre, Orlando Magic; LeBron James, forward, Cleveland Cavaliers; Jason Kidd, guard, Dallas Mavericks; Chris Paul, guard, New Orleans Hornets; Tayshaun Prince, forward, Detroit Pistons; Michael Redd, guard, Milwaukee Bucks; Dwyane Wade, guard, Miami Heat; Deron Williams, guard, Utah Jazz.

BASKETBALL

For 36 years after basketball entered the Olympic Games as a full medal sport for men, the question was not who would win, but who would finish second.

The Soviet Union took home the gold when they toppled the US team in a controversial 1972 game. After another semi-final victory for the Soviets in 1988, the sport opened to professionals. Once again, the question became who would finish second. In Barcelona in 1992, with a squad featuring some of the world's best-known athletes - Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird - the gold-medal winning US "Dream Team" gave an exhibition of basketball at its best. After an NBA All-Star packed team finished only sixth during the recent FIBA World Championship in 2002, the question will remain if the winning streak of US teams can prevail in future Olympic Games.


Women's basketball hasn't been quite such a one-sided affair. Since it joined the Olympic programme in 1976, the gold medals have been divided between the US, the Soviet Union and, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States. After a bronze medal in Atlanta and a Silver medal in Sydney, Australia may have their quest for the podium as well as the traditional powerhouse Brazil.