Fresh from his first appearance on the court against Brazil on Sunday at the Stankovic Cup in Nanjing since his right knee injury in Europe last month, Wang Zhizhi, nicknamed Big Zhi by fans, was mobbed by journalists, who wanted to know if the superstar will play in the upcoming World Championships, slated to begin in just a few days, the Oriental Sports Daily reported.

Yao Ming, left, and Wang Zhizhi during the match between China and Brazil in Nanjing August 13, 2006.[Xinhua]

"I hope to play in the upcoming championships, but I have to recuperate first," Big Zhi was quoted by the Oriental Sports Daily as saying.

China's national basketball team lost to Brazil 78-88 on Sunday at the Stankovic Cup in Nanjing though anchored by Big Zhi and Yao Ming, who teamed up for the first time in five years.

Big Zhi contributed 6 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while spending most of his time aiding teammates during his 19 minutes on court.

"I must tell you that I merely exerted half of my strength," Big Zhi told the Oriental Sports Daily. "I was not able to jump up for more rebounds, let alone play offensively."

National team coach Jonas Kazlauskas could not afford to give more time to Big Zhi. "Wang has not received any real tactical training together with the team as a whole. He was not at his best judging from today's game but there is nearly no time left before the championships," Jonas said after the game on Sunday.

Asked to comment on the Yao-Wang combination, Big Zhi said it was not that significant. "The point is to find a way to pass the ball to Yao. Yao always has two or three from the other team guarding him."

Yi Jianlian, China's promising teen forward, played the full game and led China with 19 points and 12 rebounds with Yao and Wang alternately benched, sharing only minutes on court.

Jonas Kazlauskas was satisfied with Yi's performance in the game against Brazil and hinted that Yi may replace Wang as the power forward on the starter list in the championships if the injury-haunted Wang can't play.