Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming has been lost for the remainder of the 2007-08 NBA season due to a stress fracture in his left foot. Yao underwent a series of MRI and CT scans yesterday afternoon after noting persistent swelling and pain in his ankle. The tests, which were administered at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, confirmed a stress fracture in the tarsal navicular bone in his left foot.

A medical course of action has not yet been determined. While no timeline has been set for his return, Yao will miss the remainder of the 2007-08 NBA season.

“This is obviously a very disappointing day for our organization and our fans,” said Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey. “The team has been playing at an exceptional level and Yao has been a major factor in that success. While this is a setback, we have a great group of hard working players that will step up to the challenge and continue our exciting playoff push.”

Yao (7-6, 310, China) averaged 22.0 points, 10.8 rebounds (career high) and 2.02 blocks (career high) in 55 games (55 starts) this season. He also posted 33 double-doubles in 2007-08, which stood tied for sixth among double-double leaders in the NBA. Voted to his sixth consecutive All-Star Game this season, Yao was one of only two players in the league averaging at least 20.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 2.00 blocks in 2007-08. He was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Nov. 5-11 and earned Western Conference Player of the Month presented by Kia for Jan. 2008. Yao surpassed Moses Malone (758 blocks in 464 games) into second in Rockets history for blocked shots with his third block (759 blocks in 400 games) vs. Sacramento (2/13/08). He also moved past Ralph Sampson (3,189) and Robert Reid (3,606) into sixth place in Rockets history for total rebounds.

“Yao had been experiencing an increasing amount of soreness in his left ankle over the past few days,” said Clanton, who will be overseeing Yao’s ongoing care at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. “We ran a series of tests in the area and found a stress fracture in the tarsal navicular bone.”