“Going to drop Wilt numbers in WNBA” – 17-year-old Chinese girl who is 7-foot-3-inches is going VIRAL after latest performance

China women's basketball player Zhang Ziyu is being compared to former NBA star Yao Ming after her recent performances for her country.

“Going to drop Wilt numbers in WNBA” – 17-year-old Chinese girl who is 7-foot-3-inches is going VIRAL after latest performance

Zhang Ziyu

The Chinese women’s basketball player Zhang Ziyu has garnered all the attention from the NBA and WNBA community for her recent performance against Japan. Given that she is only 17 years old and stands at 7’3, her size initially drew the attention of various NBA enthusiasts. Also, some NBA fans have already started boasting about her, comparing her to former NBA star, Yao Ming.

Against Japan, Ziyu nailed 20 of 22 free throw attempts and scored 44 points, setting a new record for the FIBA U18 Asia Cup Game won 97-81 by China. Not only that, Ziyu has also been impressive throughout the tournament. On a flawless 9–9 shooting performance, Ziyu scored 19 points in just 13 minutes during her debut game. She then scored 36 points in the next match, helping China defeat both Indonesia and New Zealand with ease.

YouTube video

In addition, after short clips of her gameplay went viral on social media in the Basketball community, fans could not hold back their excitement. However, the WNBA is a completely different ball game, but with Ziyu gathering everyone’s attention on the international stage, a move to the WNBA would not be that far away.

FS Video

It makes sense that Ziyu has garnered comparisons to former NBA player Yao Ming, and astonishingly, the two are barely a few inches off in height. It remains to be seen how Ziyu’s career will develop in the coming years in the sport.

Excited: Fans react to Chinese women’s basketball player Zhang Ziyu’s masterclass against Japan

In the 2024 FIBA Under-18 Women’s Asia Cup group round, China defeated Japan 97-81 on Wednesday with 44 points from Chinese teenager Zhang Ziyu. This caused a lot of noise in the NBA and WNBA community as it was unusual for fans to see such a special performance coming from a 17-year-old on the international stage.

Various NBA and WNBA fans took to many social media platforms to put forward their views on the 17-year-old sensation. One fan wrote on X, “WNBA about to get the own version of Yao Ming.” While another fan wrote, “Hum? i never saw yao Ming making 44 points. This is not Yao ming, this iquivalent to lebron james and Mj on WNBA. She can be the goat.” Check out some of the reactions below:

Additionally, Ziyu’s scoring total broke the tournament record set by Chinese Taipei’s Hsiao Yu Wen in 2022 with 39 points, according to FIBA. It will be intriguing to watch how Ziyu performs further in this ongoing tournament with China.

In Case You Missed It: