7’3 Chinese Basketball Phenom Bullies WNBA Star At 18 Years Old

Zhang Ziyu is the tallest player in women’s basketball history at 7-foot-3. She is only 18 years old.

Her first season as a professional has been as dominant as you might expect.

Although the level of competition in China may not be on par with the WNBA, there are multiple players in the league who were stars in the United States. Ziyu held her own against them!

Who is Zhang Ziyu?

Zhang is one inch taller than the tallest player in WNBA history at 238 pounds. Margo Dydek, from Poland, was the No. 1 overall pick in 1998 and played 11 years in the league at 7-foot-2. She was drafted at age 24.

Zhang Ziyu is six years younger.

As a native of Jinan, Shadong, the Chinese basketball phenom first became a viral sensation at 14. The women’s basketball community had its eye on her for the last four years. Her dominance at the U18 Asia Cup back in June made her an international sensation. Zhang played against girls who were more than two feet shorter than she, which was perhaps the most unfair mismatch I have ever seen.

China ultimately finished second at the U18 Asia Cup but Zhang was named as the MVP. She averaged 35 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. That’s crazy.

How will she fare in the WNBA?

As good as Zhang played against girls 18 years old or younger in Asia, there are questions about her ability to compete against more legitimate competition. Height does not always translate.

The expectation is that Zhang Ziyu will transition to the WNBA as early as 2027.

In the meantime, she is currently two weeks into her professional basketball career with the Shandong Six Stars of the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association. It has been a great success thus far.