Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming will join the national team late next month and play in a September 3 exhibition match against the Melbourne Tigers, an official from Chinese Basketball Association said.

 

It marks Yao's return after sitting out the Stankovic Cup and extensive training in Europe due to injury.

 

He is expected to join the strong lineup includes former NBA player, Wang Zhizhi, Yi Jianlian and Sun Yue, who were picked by the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers respectively in this year's draft.

 

It's not clear whether forward Du Feng will join the September match because his is also injured.

 

The Melbourne Tigers ranked first in the Australian National Basketball League in 2006.

 

China's national team has played the Tigers several times. China won all the matches in 2003 but in 2004 Tigers won three times out of the five competitions.

 

(CRI July 28, 2007)