Videos of teenage Chinese basketball star Zhang Ziyu are leaving basketball fans in shock on social media.
Ziyu, who is just 17 years old, played in her first international tournament this week. She’s currently representing China at the Under-18 Asia Cup.
She stands out on the court for obvious reasons. Not even 18, she measures a towering 7 feet 3 inches according to the FIBA (FΓ©dΓ©ration Internationale de Basketball) website.
Ziyu also stands out in the box score. In her first game against Indonesia, sheΒ scoredΒ 19 points on 9-for-9 shooting in just 13 minutes off the bench.
She followed up that performance by shooting 16 for 20 against New Zealand, scoring 36 points, grabbing 13 rebounds, and blocking 4 shots.
Some of these videos are absolutely insane. How are these poor girls on the opposition supposed to defend?
Zhang Ziyu keeps ππππππππππ the court π±
— FIBA (@FIBA) June 25, 2024
The Chinese young sensation puts up 36 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK and 44 EFF against New Zealand π₯#U18AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/AEkPYv4L5l
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Zhang Ziyu Might Be A Force To Be Reckoned With
While two games is certainly a small sample size, the fact that Zhang Ziyu debuted with a perfect percentage from the floor and is shooting over 86% from the field overall is … well, holy cow.
Not a small sample size? Ziyu herself. Check out this photoshoot image with a teammate.
pov: me and my basketball player friend posing for a photo πΈ#U18AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/cM8bBT2nib
— FIBA (@FIBA) June 24, 2024
Bro, that doesn’t even look real. That poor girl’s waist is barely above Zhang Ziyu’s kneecap.
To give further perspective, Ziyu is already 4 inches taller than the current tallest player in the WNBA. Fellow Chinese player Han Xu, who plays center for the New York Liberty, is 6 feet 11 inches.
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Cheat Code
Zhang Ziyu and her performance blew away observers on social media.
“Zhang Ziyu is a cheat code,” one account wrote on X. “The 7’3″ (220cm) center hardly broke a sweat getting her first buckets for Team China.”
Yeah well, when you make everybody else on the court look like they’re from Lilliput, you’re going to get some buckets and not even have to break a sweat, for sure.
It’s early yet. Ziyu has a long way to go before she starts dominating the WNBA like 6 foot 4 center for the Liberty Aces, A’ja Wilson.
But league stars like Wilson, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese, might want to keep one eye on what could be looming on the horizon.
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