Yao Ming made the National Team when he was eighteen.
Even earlier, back when he was at the sports academy and on the Eastern Team, a certain principle had been drilled into him through constant exposure.
Never leave the front lines for a minor injury!
Back in the sports academy, everyone was poor. They trained so hard, and just for a chance to play, Yao Ming had seen his teammates compete while injured more than once.
It was even more so on the National Team.
Fighting for your country, a battle for honor, with countless expectant eyes watching you from behind. How could you have the nerve to sit out a game over some trivial little injury?
The vivid examples of Liu Yudong and Hu Weidong were right there. If you said you couldn't play in a key game because of an injury, the public outcry alone would be enough to drown you.
