Yao Ming underwent surgery on his fractured ankle on Thursday morning in hopes that he'll be able to play in the NBA next season.

The Rockets announced in December that Yao would miss the remainder of the season because of a stress fracture in his ankle.

No timetable for his return has been established.

"It's a pretty strong certainty that he doesn't plan on retiring," a source told Yahoo! Sports. "He doesn't want to end his career like that. No doctor has told him he has to do it differently. At the end of the day, what else does he have to do?"

Yao is in the last season of his contract and Houston has explored trading his $17.7 million expiring deal.