At 7-foot-3 inches tall (220 cm), Zhang Ziyu, from Shandong province China, is the tallest woman's basketball player of all time, and she is only 17 years old.
Ever since Zhang's dominance in the China's U15 National Basketball League, she has been highly regarded as the next "woman version of Yao Ming."
In her international debut, showcasing her talent at the FIBA U18 Woman's Asia Cup 2024, Zhang surely did not disappoint, as she scored 19 points on a perfect 9-for-9 shooting, in only 13 minutes of playing time vs. Indonesia.
Zhang Ziyu is 𝐇𝐄𝐑 😤
17-year-old center (2,20cm/7'3'') registered 19 points and 7 rebounds on a perfect shooting (9/9) in her FIBA debut 🇨🇳#U18AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/10XKaDESYL
— FIBA (@FIBA) June 24, 2024
Then in Zhang's following game, she was once again unstoppable, turning plenty of heads, as she put up 36 points (16-for-20 FG), 13 rebounds, and four blocks vs. New Zealand.
Zhang Ziyu keeps 𝐃𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 the court 😱
The Chinese young sensation puts up 36 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK and 44 EFF against New Zealand 🔥#U18AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/AEkPYv4L5l
— FIBA (@FIBA) June 25, 2024
In her third game vs. Japan, Zhang set a record for the U18 Asia Cup, as she put up 44 points on 20/22 FG shooting, to go along with 14 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
RECORD-SETTER 💥
Zhang Ziyu reset the #U18AsiaCup single-game scoring record after dropping a 44-piece vs. Japan 💪 pic.twitter.com/XDA8CtSgXr
— NextGen Hoops (@NextGenHoops) June 26, 2024
Many fans noted, she is a real human "cheat code," as it is almost unfair for the competition, since Zhang towers over the rest of the girls she plays against.
ig/@womenshoopz
To point out, it has been like that for her ever since growing up as a kid in northeastern China. When she was a 1st grader in elementary school Zhang was already 5'2" (158 cm), and then she reached as tall as 6-foot-9 (206 cm) during her 6th grade year.
Zhang Ziyu is 7’4, and she is only 14 YEARS OLD. 😳
(h/t @overtime)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 15, 2021
Notably, her mother, Yu Ying, is a former member of China's national women's basketball team, and is 6-foot-5 (195 cm), while Zhang's father is 6-foot-10 (208 cm). That is to say, the teenage girl phenom basketball player was born to play the sport.
many are asking if Zhang Ziyu can dunk
of course she can
when asked what she wants to do in the U18 Asia Cup
she replied without thinking
to dunk in a gamepic.twitter.com/37xyahqcWd
— Chinese Women's Hoop Show (@YifengLi) June 25, 2024
Although Zhang is not on the 2024 Paris Olympic Games roster for the China national team, fans will be able to see much more of her in the near future.
China U18 featuring Zhang Ziyu
"It would be interesting to see if her exploits in provincial tournaments in China would translate to the national team's cause." -FIBA pic.twitter.com/zK6jHbOh51
— Chinese Women's Hoop Show (@YifengLi) June 24, 2024
As for when Zhang will be able to take her talents to the WNBA, she will need to wait until the 2027 Draft, since according to the rules, international players are eligible to be drafted in the calendar year, in which they turn 20 (May 1, 2027).
