Towering 7ft 3in Chinese basketball player destroys WNBA rivals in her pro debut at only 18

An 18-year-old Chinese basketball star – who stands at 7ft 3in – has gone viral after dominating WNBA stars in her professional debut.

On January 4th, teenage phenom Zhang Ziyu came off the bench for Shandong Shijiazhuang to make her debut in the Women’s Chinese Basketball Association.

Despite playing just twelve minutes of the game, Zhang showed off her supreme talents as she produced 15 points and 12 rebounds against Hebei Win Power.

Her stats were made even more impressive given the fact that a number of ex-WNBA stars were on the court for the opposition – including Emily Potter and Kaela Davis.

In the weeks that followed, Zhang has faced off against Kamila Cardoso, the No.3 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, and Kalani Brown, the No.7 pick in the 2019 Draft.

In both those games, Zhang again impressed. She finished with 10 points and seven points respectively, as well as producing a number of rebounds and blocks. 

Standing at 7ft3in tall, Zhang is one inch taller than the tallest ever WNBA player

Zhang played against Kalani Brown, left, and Kamilla Cardoso – with the highlights going viral

Clips from the games swiftly went viral on social media, with many fans noting how easily Zhang was able to dominate her WNBA opponents. 

Standing at 7ft3in, Ziyu is one inch taller than the tallest player in WNBA history; Margo Dydek. 

Polish star Dydek was drafted to the league at 24-years-old and went on to play in the WNBA for 11 years – which makes Ziyu’s prospects even more enticing. 

At just 18-year-old, the Chinese star has already been tipped for a successful career in the WNBA. Some experts expect to see her in the league as early as 2027. 

Zhang hails from the Shangdong province and was born into hoops, as both her parents played professional basketball in China.

According to a Chinese social media post, Zhang was 5 feet 2 inches tall in the first grade. By the sixth grade, she reached an incredible 6 foot 9 stature.

Zhang previously gained attention last year after she led her nation to a hot start at the FIBA U18 Women’s Asia Cup in Shenzen.

In previous interviews, Zhang has insisted that having the height advantage was not the only factor in her dominance. In an interview with FIBA, she admitted that she is still learning techniques to parlay with her natural gifts.

‘There are some things we can’t control. I regard it as a gift to me,’ Zhang said.

‘I can easily reach the basket. But basketball is definitely more than that,’ she added. ‘I have to learn a lot.’

Zhang clocked in her best performance in the tournament on Wednesday with 44 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists in an 87-81 win over Japan.