Bear Grylls[Photo/China Daily]

Grylls invited Yao in a post on Wednesday on Grylls' personal account on the social networking platform Sina Weibo.

"Your great contribution to charity after you've retired has made the entire society ... feel even more proud of you. ... With the spirit of combatant and cooperation, you are the exact warrior whom the wild adventure always tries to call," Grylls said in the post.

Yao, responding on the micro blog account of the Shanghai Sharks, the Chinese Basketball Association club that he owns, said he is ready to accept the challenge.

Humans are losing the ability to survive in the wild, he said, so "it's necessary to rediscover the survival instinct so future generations can live in harmony with nature and animals".

Since retiring from basketball in 2011, Yao has been an advocate of wildlife and nature protection. He has made a number of public service ads for the fight against the ivory trade and opposing consumption of shark fins.