His injury issues began in the 2005-2006 season, when he sat out 21 games with an infection in his left big toe. He broke a bone in his left foot near the end of that season and had surgery.
Yao then broke his right leg early in the 2006-2007 season and missed 32 games, then suffered the stress fracture in his left foot in 2007-2008, and rushed rehab to be fit for the Beijing Olympics.
The latest injury likely drops the Rockets out of contention next season.
Houston acquired Tracy McGrady in June 2004 and envisioned the two-time scoring champion joining Yao in a devastating inside-out threat. The Rockets went 146-74 when Yao and McGrady played together, but it happened so rarely over five seasons that it never mattered in the end.
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