China's basketball giant Yao Ming said his foot is healed and he hopes to play against Team USA in coming days, but he refused to confirm rumors of a deepening relationship with his girl friend.

Chinese NBA star Yao Ming and his girlfriend Ye Li, rarely showing up together at public occasions, attend at a commercial promotion event in Beijing July 26, 2006. The 2.29-meter (7-foot-6-inch) Houston Rockets center is Beijing preparing for the upcoming World Championships in Japan in August. Yao and Ye were helping promote a Chinese mobile phone service operator. [newsphoto]

"Everyone wants to know," Yao said in an Internet webchat when asked about his recent appearances with girl friend Ye Li.

"Everyone wants to know, so I am not going to tell you."

Yao, 26, who has been recovering from a broken foot, has been photographed at recent publicity events and in training with 25-year-old Ye, his long-time girlfriend who also plays center on China's women's national team.

Their relationship goes back more than five years when the seven-foot-six (2.26 meter) Yao played on Shanghai's men's team, while the 1.90 meter Ye played for Shanghai's women's team.

His relationship with Ye was only part of a wide-ranging discussion on Sina.com.

A major topic was whether the NBA All Star with the Houston Rockets would be fit enough to play in the August 19-September 3 World Basketball Championships and an August 7 warm up match against the United States.

"I had a check up, we took some pictures of it, the bone is growing back well," Yao said.

"The problem is that my left foot was injured for a long period and the muscle group is not in good shape ... this will have to wait until I start practice with the national team and the problem will gradually be resolved.

"I'll try to get ready for Dream Team Seven (Team USA). If I can play in the game against Dream Team Seven, then there won't be any problem with the games afterwards."

Yao said he also planned to play in the Stankovic Cup in Nanjing from August 11-15, which will include teams from France, Germany, Greece, Australia and Brazil.

In the World Basketball Championships, he said China would aim to reach the final eight, repeating its eighth-place finish at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"Our goal is to get to the final eight. As far as the team is concerned we still have not broken through to the top tier, so the best is that we take the eighth spot," Yao said.

"If we want to go farther then it is going to take a lot of effort."