Retired basketball star Yao Ming's pivotal role in the game's professional reform in China grew on Monday with his involvement in the upcoming election of the new Chinese Basketball Association leadership.

Yao, a former NBA All-Star, was named on Monday the co-head of a preparatory group for the general election of the CBA, which is scheduled for March, the CBA said in a statement.

According to a report in Basketball Pioneers newspaper on Jan 2, the General Administration of Sport of China, the nation's sports regulator, made 10 proposals during an internal meeting on basketball's future development, two of which involved Yao. The first called for discussion of Yao becoming the new chairman, and the second reportedly was to invite Yao to be head coach of the national men's team.