The change was made to take the Yao Ming Foundation out of the loop, staying within newly enforced NBA guidelines set to prevent salary-cap circumvention.

Yao can opt out of his contract with the Rockets after the 2009-10 season, and the league office said donations to his foundation could be interpreted as influencing negotiations.

"I know, it's all about 2010," Yao said. "They have rules. All we want to do is help people who were hurt by the earthquake in the Sichuan Province."

Since 1996, the Tux & Tennies Gala has raised nearly $5 million. Proceeds from last year's Gala benefited the Dikembe Mutombo Foundation. The money raised last year was utilized to help build the Women & Children's Center of the Biamba Maria Mutombo Hospital, which is located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mutombo's foundation also was a beneficiary in 2006, and the veteran center has twice signed free-agent contracts to return to the Rockets during that period.

Officials from the league office acknowledge the contradiction and said the rules will be more strictly enforced from this point.

After the Rockets announced the Yao Ming Foundation as a beneficiary earlier in the season, commissioner David Stern's office received complaints from several other NBA teams.

"We appreciate the league's position and will work with them and will certainly abide by their wishes and work according to their direction on how we can make the event as successful as possible while supporting Yao to the best that we can," said Tad Brown, Rockets chief executive officer.

The league has said contributions may be made directly to the earthquake relief fund in China.

"Yes, so long as there is no longer salary-cap circumvention," said an NBA spokesman.