Women's basketball: China's new "Great Wall" is 2.26m tall and only 18 years old
Zhang Ziyu is expected to play for the Chinese basketball team at the Women's Asian Cup. While her performances have been noticed, her dizzying height has also not left the world of basketball indifferent.
China is expected to field its newest phenomenon at the Women 's Asian Cup: Zhang Ziyu (2.26m), already nicknamed "The Great Wall" due to her height after an encouraging international debut. The 18-year-old scored 18 points on Wednesday in Xi'an (central China) during China's victory over its arch-rivals, Japan (101-92), during a warm-up match.
The Women's Asian Cup will be held in Shenzhen, southern China, starting July 13. Wednesday was Zhang Ziyu's third appearance for the Chinese team, having contributed to a resounding victory against Bosnia and Herzegovina over the weekend.
Chinese state media have dubbed the duo she forms with Han Xu, the other tall center (2.11 m) in the national team, the "Twin Towers." Zhang Ziyu's height allows her to barely need to jump to score. Originally from Shandong province (east China), she was 2.10 m tall when she finished primary school.
Many fans have already compared her to Chinese basketball player Yao Ming, the NBA legend of the Houston Rockets. Standing at 2.29 meters tall, Yao Ming was one of the tallest players in NBA history. He was nicknamed "The Great Wall" before retiring from the sport in 2011. Zhang Ziyu inherited his nickname.
While the teenager, whose parents were both professional basketball players, has an undeniable advantage due to her height, her teammates believe she still has room for improvement. "She could have been more aggressive on some shots," veteran center Yang Liwei commented after Wednesday's victory.
"I think she played at her usual level," added Yang, who was part of China's winning team at the 2023 Women's Asian Cup. China will face Japan at home on Friday for another warm-up match.
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