After taking an elbow to the throat Monday night, Yao Ming (news) got back up and kept playing.
After the game, he learned that his historical rookie campaign was over.
The Houston Rockets announced Tuesday morning that their prized center will be out of basketball action for 4-6 weeks after X-rays revealed a broken collarbone.
Yao suffered the injury when New Jersey Nets center Dikembe Mutombo delivered an elbow to his throat late in the second quarter of the Nets' 110-86 win over the Rockets.
Yao collapsed to his knees, holding his throat, and Mutombo was whistled for a foul despite his protests.
"I did not think anything was wrong then," said Yao through an interpreter. "I felt the pain much later."
The injury is a big blow to the Rockets who are in a tight race for the 8th and final playoff spot in the West with just 8 games to go.
Yao was drafted with the top overall pick by the Rockets in last summer's draft after the 7-foot-5 center averaged 32.4 points, 18.9 rebounds, 4.5 blocked shots and 1.5 steals for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association last season. He also competed in the World Championships with the Chinese national team last August, forcing him to miss much of training camp.
After a slow start, Yao made a big impact on the Rockets and the NBA and was voted in as a starter in the All-Star game in February. He averaged 13.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.81 blocks and along with Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire is considered a frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year.
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