Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming steps down as head of national league

BEIJING (AP) — Former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming has stepped down as head of China’s struggling national basketball league. The eight-time NBA All-Star had been leading efforts to commercialize the 20-team league and to bring it out from under the control of government bureaucrats and Communist Party officials. Allegations of corruption have dogged the league in recent years. Two teams were ejected from the league finals last month after being found to have engaged in unsporting conduct over a series of turnovers that resulted in a come-from-behind win that was judged as suspicious. Managers and coaching staff from the team have been barred from the league for up to five years.