CHINA’S giant center Yao Ming had surgery Monday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot, ending his NBA season.

The surgery was performed by Dr. Tom Clanton, the team’s physician, and his associate, Dr. Bill McGarvey. Yao is comfortable and recovering well after surgery, Clanton said.

“I am very relieved that everything went well with my surgery today,” said Yao. “I am looking forward to getting better and starting my physical rehab as soon as the doctors say I can.”

“Yao is comfortable and recovering well after surgery,” Clanton said. “At this stage, we will continue to monitor his recovery and begin an aggressive rehabilitation once he is physically deemed ready.”

The Rockets announced last Tuesday that Yao would miss the rest of the season because of the injury.

The Rockets (39-20) have won their first three contests without Yao, extending their winning streak to a franchise-high-tying 15 games.

The injury could also impact Yao’s availability to lead China into the Beijing Olympic Games this summer.

Yao said earlier that he was still hoping to be able to play in the Olympics.

“If I cannot play in the Olympics for my country, that would be the biggest blow of my career,” he said. “I don’t want to know how disappointed the people in China would be.

“I’ll do the best I can to come back, get stronger, protect myself.”

Yao, 27, was healthy during his first three seasons in the league but has suffered since the 2005-06 campaign, when a toe injury saw him miss 21 games between December and January. He also suffered a broken foot in April 2006, ending his season.

A year later, Yao fractured the right tibia in his foot Dec. 23 and did not play again until early March.

(SD-Agencies)