Yao Ming has cast doubt on his return to the NBA by admitting to the possibility he may not play again as he battles to recover from his latest injury, Chinese media reported.

The towering Houston Rockets center, China's most recognizable athlete, told CCTV he could not predict when, or indeed if, he would fully recover from a serious ankle fracture suffered last November.

"I don't know if I would join some champion team in the future," the China Daily quoted him as saying when asked about leaving a new-look Rockets team.

"I don't even know if I can play again."