Sports in brief: Yao’s career could be over

NBA: Rockets center Yao Ming’s broken left foot could be a “career-threatening” injury.

Dr. Tom Clanton, the Houston Rockets’ team physician, told the Houston Chronicle on Monday that Yao’s injury “has the potential for him missing this next season and could be career-threatening.”

Yahoo Sports first reported the Rockets and Yao’s representatives were concerned the 7-foot-6 All-Star would never play again. Yahoo Sports quoted “multiple league executives, officials close to Yao and two doctors with knowledge of the diagnoses.”

Yao suffered a hairline fracture of the tarsal navicular bone late in a May 8 playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The team said last week the injury hasn’t healed and he was out indefinitely.

Associated Press

Cowen pick gets good reception

Hockey: In putting together a capsule glance of the Senators’ picks from the NHL draft, here is what the Ottawa Sun wrote about Spokane defenseman Jared Cowen, the ninth overall selection:

The Senators were looking to get a forward, but were happy to get the big blueliner, who is recovering from knee surgery. “This is a good pick,” said a Western Conference scout. “This guy is going to be a player. He hasn’t got great skills. He’s just going to be solid. He’s going to have a long career.”

•The Canadian Hockey League import draft is today. Each team in the CHL is permitted to carry two European Import players each season. The order of selection rotates through each of the three leagues in the CHL – the Western, Ontario and Quebec leagues – using an inverse order of their final regular season standings from the past season. The Spokane Chiefs will have the 47th overall selection.

Shock playoff tickets available

arenafootball2: The Spokane Shock’s 61-28 home win over Oklahoma City on Friday clinched one home playoff game.

The Shock will host a first-round game Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Arena. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Shock at 242-7462.

The undefeated Shock play at the Iowa Barnstormers on Saturday. The final home regular-season game is July 11 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

WSU’s Koprivica at World Games

Men’s basketball: Washington State University senior Nikola Koprivica will represent Serbia in the World University Games starting Thursday in Koprivica’s home town of Belgrade, Serbia.

The 6-foot-6 guard captained the Serbian team to the gold medal at the U20 Men’s European Basketball Championship last summer.